Niche (architecture)

In architecture, a niche (CanE, UK: /ˈniːʃ/ or US: /ˈnɪtʃ/) is a recess or cavity constructed in the thickness of a wall for the reception of decorative objects such as statues, busts, urns, and vases.

'sea-shell') may also be involved in the origin of the word,[2] as the traditional decoration for the top of a niche is a scallop shell, hence also the alternative term of "conch" for a semi-dome, usually reserved for larger exedra.

[3][4][5] (Compare: blind arcade) In Gothic architecture, a niche may be set within a tabernacle framing, like a richly decorated miniature house (aedicula), such as might serve for a reliquary.

In Fra Filippo Lippi's Madonna, the trompe-l'œil niche frames her as with the canopy of estate that was positioned over a personage of importance in the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Europe.

In Iran, a Mihrab is a type of niche in the wall of a mosque at the point nearest to Mecca toward which the congregation faces to pray.

This is The Great Mosque of Cordoba, It's Mihrab is formed of small, glazed glass tiles and plaster creating a mosaic.