Hagia Sophia - Quiz
Hagia Sophia
  • 1. When was Hagia Sophia built?
A) 537 AD
B) 732 AD
C) 476 AD
D) 654 AD
  • 2. Which empire built Hagia Sophia?
A) Persian Empire
B) Roman Empire
C) Byzantine Empire
D) Ottoman Empire
  • 3. What is the architectural style of Hagia Sophia?
A) Renaissance
B) Byzantine
C) Gothic
D) Baroque
  • 4. Hagia Sophia became a museum in which year?
A) 1984
B) 1862
C) 1935
D) 1957
  • 5. What was Hagia Sophia converted into after the Ottoman conquest?
A) Library
B) Mosque
C) Marketplace
D) Theatre
  • 6. Who was the architect of Hagia Sophia?
A) Iktinos and Kallikrates
B) Leonardo da Vinci
C) Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus
D) Michelangelo
  • 7. Hagia Sophia served as a cathedral for how long?
A) 1053 years
B) 482 years
C) 739 years
D) 916 years
  • 8. What does 'Hagia Sophia' mean in Greek?
A) Sacred Monument
B) Heavenly Palace
C) Holy Wisdom
D) Great Cathedral
  • 9. Which city is Hagia Sophia located in?
A) Istanbul
B) Rome
C) Cairo
D) Athens
  • 10. What significant event occurred at Hagia Sophia on 13–14 January 532?
A) Emperor Theophilus installed two-winged bronze doors.
B) The Byzantine–Sasanian War began.
C) It was burnt to the ground during the Nika Revolt.
D) It was inaugurated by Emperor Justinian I.
  • 11. Which emperor ordered the construction of a third Hagia Sophia after the second was destroyed?
A) Mehmed the Conqueror
B) Justinian I
C) Constantine the Great
D) Theodosius II
  • 12. What architectural innovation is Hagia Sophia known for employing?
A) A fully pendentive dome.
B) Baroque facades.
C) Gothic arches.
D) Flying buttresses.
  • 13. What was the original purpose of Hagia Sophia when it was first constructed?
A) It served as a Christian basilica.
B) It was used as an imperial library.
C) It functioned as a Roman bathhouse.
D) It operated as a marketplace.
  • 14. What was one major consequence of the Nika Revolt for Hagia Sophia?
A) Emperor Justinian I ordered its immediate reconstruction.
B) It became a mosque immediately after the revolt.
C) The church was converted into a museum.
D) The second church on the site was burnt to the ground.
  • 15. What was one significant architectural feature added to Hagia Sophia during Justinian's reign?
A) A ribbed dome with pendentives.
B) Baroque facades.
C) Gothic arches.
D) Flying buttresses.
  • 16. Which Byzantine emperor's reign saw Hagia Sophia being stripped of gold ornaments and silver oil-lamps?
A) Constantine the Great
B) Arcadius
C) Isaac II Angelus
D) Theodosius II
  • 17. Which Ottoman architect was responsible for strengthening Hagia Sophia in the 16th century?
A) Gaspare Fossati
B) Mimar Sinan
C) Davud Ağa
D) Giuseppe Fossati
  • 18. Which Sultan imported two large alabaster Hellenistic urns from Pergamon and placed them in Hagia Sophia?
A) Selim II
B) Suleiman the Magnificent
C) Murad III
D) Ahmed I
  • 19. Which organization included Hagia Sophia in their 1996 and 1998 Watch Lists due to its deteriorating condition?
A) UNESCO
B) World Monuments Fund (WMF)
C) International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
D) Council of Europe
  • 20. Who was the first Turkish President to transform Hagia Sophia into a museum?
A) Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
B) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
C) İsmet İnönü
D) Abdulmejid I
  • 21. In what year did the Turkish government announce the reversion of Hagia Sophia back to a mosque?
A) 2020
B) 2015
C) 1998
D) 2003
  • 22. Who was the first imam appointed by Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs at Hagia Sophia since 1935?
A) Bülent Arınç
B) Mefail Hızlı
C) Önder Soy
D) Ali Erbaş
  • 23. Which president of Turkey signed the decree annulling Hagia Sophia's museum status in 2020?
A) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
B) Ahmet Necdet Sezer
C) Abdullah Gül
D) Tayyip Erdoğan
  • 24. Which Greek political figure called Hagia Sophia's conversion a 'breach of UNESCO World Heritage titling'?
A) Lina Mendoni
B) Kyriakos Mitsotakis
C) Alexis Tsipras
D) Dora Bakoyannis
  • 25. Which Sultan's reign saw the renovation of Hagia Sophia's interior to preserve many mosaics?
A) Abdulmejid I
B) Mehmed II
C) Ahmed III
D) Selim I
  • 26. Who was the first Western visitor to report seeing the ancient Justinianic floor of Hagia Sophia before it was covered over?
A) Cristoforo Buondelmonti
B) Gaspare Fossati
C) Bernardo Bonsignori
D) Pero Tafur
  • 27. According to Svenshon, what is the size of the side of the central square in Byzantine feet?
A) 99 feet
B) 98 feet
C) 100 feet
D) 101 feet
  • 28. When was the Deësis mosaic likely commissioned?
A) 1261
B) 1958
C) 1849
D) 1122
  • 29. Who engraved an image of Hagia Sophia's interior in 1672?
A) The Fossatis
B) Guillaume-Joseph Grelot
C) Cornelius Loos
D) Thomas Whittemore
  • 30. Who built the wooden minaret over one of Hagia Sophia's half domes?
A) Mehmed.
B) Justinian.
C) Sinan.
D) Beyazıd II.
  • 31. When was the Emperor Alexander mosaic discovered?
A) 1894
B) 1122
C) 1958
D) 1849
  • 32. How many arched windows support the central dome?
A) 50
B) 40
C) 30
D) 60
  • 33. Which Byzantine church was remodeled to have a dome similar to Hagia Sophia's during Justinian's reign?
A) Catedral Metropolitana Ortodoxa
B) Hagia Irene
C) Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki
D) Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
  • 34. What was the main entrance between the exo- and esonarthex called?
A) The Northern Entrance
B) The Imperial Gate
C) The Royal Door
D) The Emperor's Arch
  • 35. What does touching the moisture on the wishing column reportedly cure?
A) Broken bones.
B) Many illnesses.
C) Financial troubles.
D) Bad luck.
  • 36. What is the main solution to prevent deterioration of Hagia Sophia's walls?
A) Using modern construction materials.
B) Sealing all openings.
C) Applying new plaster.
D) Diverting excess rainwater.
  • 37. Who led the team from the Byzantine Institute of America that uncovered many mosaics in the 1930s?
A) Cyril Mango
B) John Smith
C) Thomas Whittemore
D) Michael Fossati
  • 38. What type of angels are depicted in the mosaics on the east pendentives?
A) Two-winged angels symbolizing peace and war.
B) Six-winged angels, possibly seraphim or cherubim.
C) Eight-winged angels of justice and mercy.
D) Four-winged angels representing the cardinal directions.
  • 39. What did Christ Pantocrator hold in his left hand in the Empress Zoe mosaic?
A) The Bible
B) A scroll
C) A purse
D) A globus cruciger
  • 40. What is another name for the 'wishing column' in Hagia Sophia?
A) The 'perspiring' or 'sweating column'.
B) The 'emperor's column'.
C) The 'golden column'.
D) The 'healing pillar'.
  • 41. In what year did vandalism occur at the Imperial Gate?
A) 2005
B) 1987
C) 2019
D) April 2022
  • 42. What period do the lustration urns date back to?
A) Romanesque period.
B) Byzantine period.
C) Hellenistic period.
D) Renaissance period.
  • 43. When did the stone floor of Hagia Sophia originally date from?
A) The 12th century
B) The 6th century
C) The 4th century
D) The 8th century
  • 44. What material is predominantly used in the Hagia Sophia's floor?
A) Proconnesian marble
B) Granite
C) Thessalian verd antique
D) Limestone
  • 45. What is the diagonal measurement derived from the side-and-diagonal number progression in Hagia Sophia?
A) 150
B) 130
C) 160
D) 140
  • 46. Who was traditionally allowed to use the Imperial Gate exclusively?
A) The emperor
B) The Patriarch
C) The Empress
D) The clergy
  • 47. What did members of the Varangian Guard leave in the first floor gallery?
A) Mosaics
B) Inscriptions in Latin
C) Symbols of their allegiance
D) Runic graffiti
  • 48. What instrument was used to investigate the subsurface structure under Hagia Sophia?
A) LaCoste-Romberg gravimeters
B) Seismic reflection tools
C) Laser scanning devices
D) Ground-penetrating radar
  • 49. What progression is used for calculating the square measurements in Hagia Sophia's design?
A) Side-and-diagonal number progression
B) Geometric progression
C) Fibonacci sequence
D) Arithmetic progression
  • 50. What did the Ottomans cover on the seraphs' faces?
A) Golden stars.
B) Paintings of prophets.
C) Ceramic tiles.
D) Figurative mosaics.
  • 51. Which organization's World Heritage Committee was mentioned in relation to Hagia Sophia's status change?
A) UNESCO
B) International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
C) Council of Europe
D) World Monuments Fund (WMF)
  • 52. Who rediscovered the southwestern entrance mosaic during restorations in 1849?
A) Cornelius Loos
B) Thomas Whittemore
C) Guillaume-Joseph Grelot
D) The Fossatis
  • 53. What is the length of each side of the great square Hagia Sophia?
A) 35 m
B) 25 m
C) Approximately 31 m
D) 40 m
  • 54. What did the Thessalian verd antique bands across the nave floor resemble?
A) Forests.
B) Mountains.
C) Rivers.
D) Deserts.
  • 55. Which poet likened the ambo and solea to an island in a sea?
A) Tursun Beg
B) Tâcîzâde Cafer Çelebi
C) Paul the Silentiary
D) Michael the Deacon
  • 56. Which synagogue is modeled after the Hagia Sophia?
A) Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
B) Saint Louis Cathedral
C) Süleymaniye Mosque
D) Congregation Emanu-El (San Francisco)
  • 57. What happened to the figurative mosaics during the iconoclastic controversy?
A) They were moved to another location.
B) They were covered with gold leaf.
C) They were replaced by abstract designs.
D) They were destroyed.
  • 58. What is the oldest depiction of the apse mosaic known?
A) A drawing by Cornelius Loos.
B) An engraving by Guillaume-Joseph Grelot.
C) A hexaptych menologion icon panel from Saint Catherine's Monastery.
D) A fresco in the apse.
  • 59. Who compared the floor to waves of marble?
A) Paul the Silentiary
B) Tursun Beg
C) Michael the Deacon
D) Tâcîzâde Cafer Çelebi
  • 60. Which Neo-Byzantine church closely replicates the internal geometry of Hagia Sophia?
A) Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
B) Saint Clement Catholic Church
C) Église du Saint-Esprit (Paris)
D) Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
  • 61. In what year did the first Friday prayer in Hagia Sophia as a mosque take place?
A) 29 May 1453
B) 1576
C) 1 June 1453
D) 1498
  • 62. What was a significant issue with the construction of Hagia Sophia's walls?
A) The walls were built without any mortar
B) They used too much stone and not enough mortar
C) The walls were constructed with metal reinforcements
D) The builders used more mortar than brick, weakening the structure
  • 63. What is another name for the upper gallery in Hagia Sophia?
A) Apse
B) Matroneum
C) Pendentive
D) Narthex
  • 64. How high is the central dome of Hagia Sophia from floor level at its maximum?
A) 55.6 m (182 ft 5 in)
B) 45.6 m
C) 65.6 m
D) 75.6 m
  • 65. What material is used for the disc marking the spot of the empress's throne?
A) Single blocks of marble.
B) Green stone verd antique.
C) Marble from Pergamon.
D) Reliefs of geometric shapes and plants.
  • 66. Where did many items from Hagia Sophia end up after the Sack of Constantinople?
A) Athens, as part of a cultural exchange.
B) Constantinople, stored in hidden vaults.
C) Rome, to be displayed in the Vatican.
D) Venice, organized by Doge Enrico Dandolo.
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