How do visitors enter?

Through a dark passage that opens into light

Cathedral of Brasília Quiz: Niemeyer's Crown of Concrete

This Cathedral of Brasília quiz steps into Oscar Niemeyer's crown of concrete in Brazil's planned capital. Play 10 interactive questions on 16 curved columns, the hyperboloid shape, a dark entrance passage that opens into light, stained glass by Marianne Peretti, angels hanging inside, bronze evangelists outside, Lúcio Costa's city plan and Niemeyer's Pritzker Prize.

Start Cathedral of Brasília Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Country
Which country is Brasília the capital of?
Architect
Who designed the cathedral?
Columns
How many curved concrete columns form the structure?
Shape
What geometric shape does the cathedral form?
Image
What do the columns often suggest?
Entry
How do visitors enter?
Glass
Who designed the stained glass?
Angels
What hangs from the ceiling inside?
Plan
Who planned the city of Brasília?
Prize
When did Niemeyer win the Pritzker Prize?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which country is Brasília the capital of?
Answer: Brazil
It became capital in 1960.
Q2: Who designed the cathedral?
Answer: Oscar Niemeyer
He designed many Brasília landmarks.
Q3: How many curved concrete columns form the structure?
Answer: 16
They meet in a ring.
Q4: What geometric shape does the cathedral form?
Answer: A hyperboloid
It narrows and flares.
Q5: What do the columns often suggest?
Answer: Hands reaching to the sky
Some also see a crown of thorns.
Q6: How do visitors enter?
Answer: Through a dark passage that opens into light
The contrast is dramatic.
Q7: Who designed the stained glass?
Answer: Marianne Peretti
Blues and greens fill the roof.
Q8: What hangs from the ceiling inside?
Answer: Sculptures of angels
They seem to float.
Q9: Who planned the city of Brasília?
Answer: Lúcio Costa
The plan resembles an airplane.
Q10: When did Niemeyer win the Pritzker Prize?
Answer: 1988
He lived to 104.

A Crown of Concrete in a Planned Capital

Brasília became Brazil's capital in 1960, built from Lúcio Costa's plan, which resembles an airplane. Oscar Niemeyer designed many of its landmarks, including the Cathedral of Brasília, whose 16 curved concrete columns rise and meet in a ring, forming a hyperboloid.

The columns are often compared to hands reaching to the sky or a crown of thorns. Visitors enter through a dark underground passage that opens into a bright interior, where stained glass by Marianne Peretti fills the roof with blues and greens and sculptures of angels hang from the ceiling.

Bronze statues of the four evangelists stand outside. Niemeyer, who won the Pritzker Prize in 1988, was famous for flowing concrete curves and lived to 104. Brasília's modernist core is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

What This Quiz Teaches

Architecture fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the cathedral is
Who designed it
What its form is
What is inside
How the city was planned

Did You Know?

A bell tower stands beside it.
A reflecting pool surrounds it.
It was dedicated in 1970.
Niemeyer loved curves over straight lines.
The National Congress is nearby.