<P> A niche (CanE, UK: / ˈniːʃ / or US: / ˈnɪtʃ /) in classical architecture is an exedra or an apse that has been reduced in size, retaining the half - dome heading usual for an apse . Nero's Domus Aurea (AD 64--69) was the first semi-private dwelling that possessed rooms that were given richly varied floor plans, shaped with niches and exedras; sheathed in dazzling polished white marble, such curved surfaces concentrated or dispersed the daylight . </P> <P> The word derives from the Latin nidus or nest, via the French niche . The Italian nicchio for a sea - shell may also be involved, as the traditional decoration for the top of a niche is a scallop shell, as in the illustration, hence also the alternative term of "conch" for a semi-dome, usually reserved for larger exedra . </P>

Which is the term for a framed niche in the wall