Nicetas Rhetor, an Eastern ecclesiastic, by some thought to be identical with Nicetas Paphlago (q. v.), has, among other productions, the following ascribed to him : several Orations known to AUatius : — Diatriba in gloriosum Martyrem Panteleemoneni : — De Certamine et de Lnventione, etc., i-eiiqiriarum S. Stephani Protomar- tyris: — Encomium in Magiunn Nicholaum Myrobkptem et Thanmatur;ium. None of these have been published. See Cave, Hist. Lit. D, p. 14.
Nicetas Scutariota, an Eastern writer of uncer- tain date, who was born at Scutari, opposite Constanti- nople. He wrote, Homilice: — Scholia sive Annotationes in NicefcE Acominati Thesaurum, Orthodox.: — Episiolm de A rte Lfhetorica : — poems and other minor productions extant, in MSS. in Paris and elsewhere. See Cave, Hist. Lit. I), \). 15 ; Fabriciits, Bibl. Grac. vii, 755.
Nicetas Seidus, an Eastern writer who violently opposed the Latins, and wrote a small work against them, a Latin translation of which begins, "Non sim- pliciter antiqua novis venerabiliora," etc., and of which Allatius gives some fragments in De Consensu, i, 14. See Cave, Hist. Lit. ad ann. 1110.
Nicetas Skuhox, an Eastern ecclesiastic, flour- ished as a contemporary of Theophylact in the 11th
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century. He was first deacon of the Church of Con- stantinople, and afterwards bishop of Heraclea. He composed several funeral orations upon the death of Gregory Nazianzen; also a commentar}', which is in- serted in Latin among the works of that father. There is besides ascribed to him a catena upon the Book of Job, compiled of passages from several of the fathers, as Apollinarius, Athanasius, Basil, Ephrem Syrus, Euse- bius, Gregory Nazianzen, Gregory of Nyssa, Isidore, Julius Halicarnassensis, Methodius, Nylus, Olyrapido- rus, Origen, Polj-chronius Severus, Theophilus of Alex- andria, Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, and Didymus of Alexandria. This work was printed at London in 1637 in folio. We have also by the same author sev- eral caten-Tj upon the Psalms and Canticles, printed at Basle in 1552. There is likewise a commentary upon the poems of Gregory Nazianzen. printed at Venice un- der the name of Nicetas of Paphlagonia, which is ap- parently by the same author. See Cave, Hist. Lit. ad ann. 1077 ; Fabricius, Bibl. Gra'ca, viii, 43L
Nicetas Thessalonicensis, an Eastern ecclesias- tic, was born at Thessalonica about 1200. He was arch- bishop of Thessalonica, and author of Dialogi Sex de Processione Spiritus Sancii, of which Allatius gives a fragment in Contra Hottinrjer, He has often been con- founded with Nicetas Acominatus. See Fabricius, Bibl. Grcec. vii, 756,
Niche is an architectural terra derived from the
Guteway of the Bishop's Palace, Peterborough, c. 1220.
TBii||iiaii||iiiii«iii
Coombe Church, Oxon.
or plain, and when canopies were used they were gener- ally made to project : good examples of the 13th cen- tury are to be seen on the west front of the cathedral at Wells.
In the Decorated style they very frequently had ogee can- opies over them, which were sometimes placed flat against tlie wall and sometimes bowed out in the form of an ogee, triangular canopies were also connnon : several kinds of pro- jecting canopies were likev ise used, especiallj' when the niches were placed separately. In the tops of buttresses niches were sometimes made to oc- cupy the whole breadth of the buttress, so as to be entirely open on three sides, with small piers at the front angles , pedestals were very common, particularl}' in niches a\ it h projecting canopies, and in such cases were either earned on corbels or rose from other projecting supports below, sometimes corbels were used instead of pedestals.
In the Perpendicidar st^le the panelling, which was so profusely introduced, ^va& sufficientlj' recessed to recen e figures, and these varied con- siderably in form ; but of tlie more legitimate niches the general character did not differ very materially from those of the preceding style.
were usually half an octagon or hexagon, with small pendants and pinnacles at the angles; and crockets, finials, and other enrichments were often introduced in great profusion ; buttresses, surmounted with pinnacles, were also very frequently placed at the side of niches in this style. — Parker, Glossary of A rchi- iecture, s. v.
Queen Lleinoi » Cio««, Geddiii^ton, Noith- nmptonshire. A.V>. 1294.
In plan the canopies
French, and designates a cavity, hollow, or recess in a wall or buttress for an im- age, vase, or other erect ornament. Among the ancients niches were sometimes square, but oftener semicircular at the back, and terminated in a half-dome at the top ; oc- casionally small pediments were formed over them, which were supported on con- soles, or small columns or pilasters placed at the sides of the niches, but they were frequently left plain, or ornamented only with a few mouldings. In the Middle- Age architecture niches (often called tab- ernacles) were extensively used, especially in ecclesiastical buildings, for statues.
The figures in the Jiarli/ English stylo were sometimes set on small pedestals, and canopies were not unfrequently used over . the heads; they were often placed in suites or arranged in pairs, under a larger arch ; when in suites, the}' were very commonlj' separated by single shafts; in other cases the sides were usually moulded in a sim- ilar way to windows; the arches of the heads were either cinque-foiled, trelbiled,
Kidliugtoii, Oxl'urdshire, c. 14G0,
Mngdalen Church, Oxford,
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