What sixth-century Byzantine cathedral in Istanbul, commissioned by Emperor Justinian I and featuring a massive pendentive dome, was converted into a mosque in 1453 and again in 2020?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
- Step 1: Hagia Sophia stood as the largest cathedral in the Christian world for nearly a thousand years.
- Step 2: Mehmed II converted it into the imperial mosque of Istanbul in 1453. In 1934 it became a museum under Atatürk's cabinet, before reverting to a mosque in July 2020.
Answer
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya).
Why not the others: 'Hagia Irene' is an unconverted Byzantine church in Topkapı Palace's outer courtyard; 'Chora Church' (Kariye) is famous for late Byzantine mosaics; 'Church of the Holy Apostles' was destroyed after 1453.
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