Glossary
What is niche?
A niche is a compartment in a columbarium or niche wall that holds an urn of cremated remains. Families buy the right to place an urn in a specific niche, which provides a permanent, visitable resting place without an in-ground grave.
Niche fronts are commonly granite, marble, glass, or bronze and can be engraved with names and dates; glass-front niches let the urn be seen and are often chosen so a decorative urn or keepsake stays on view. A standard niche holds a single urn, while a larger companion niche is designed to hold two, so spouses or family members can rest together.
A niche is the cremation counterpart to a burial plot or a casket crypt: it offers a fixed, visitable place to gather and remember without an in-ground grave. Niches may sit in an outdoor garden wall, inside a mausoleum, or within a place of worship, and indoor columbaria may keep set visiting hours.
Niche pricing varies by cemetery and by the niche's size and position — eye-level and glass-front niches typically cost more than those near the floor or ceiling. The quoted price may or may not include the urn, the engraving, and the fee to open, place, and seal the niche, so ask for an itemized breakdown before buying.
Related terms
Columbarium
A columbarium is a structure or wall containing niches that hold urns of cremated remains. It is often located in a cemetery, mausoleum, or place of worship, and provides a permanent, visitable place for ashes.
Urn
An urn is a container that holds cremated remains. Urns come in many materials, sizes, and styles — from simple boxes to decorative vessels and biodegradable options — and may be kept at home, buried, or placed in a columbarium niche.
Inurnment
Inurnment is the placing of cremated remains into an urn, or the placing of an urn into its final resting place such as a columbarium niche or a grave. It is the cremation counterpart to the burial term interment.
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an above-ground building that holds caskets in crypts, and sometimes cremated remains in niches. It offers entombment as an alternative to in-ground burial, either in a large community structure or a private family mausoleum.
See also
Common questions about Niche
Sources
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This definition is general information, not legal or financial advice. Laws and prices vary by state and provider. See our editorial standards.