What Is a Columbarium? Meaning, Niches and How It Works

A columbarium is a wall, room or building lined with small compartments, called niches, that hold urns of cremated remains. You'll find them in cemeteries, inside mausoleums, in some churches and at many crematories. The plural is columbaria, though most people just say columbariums.

What does columbarium mean?

The word comes from the Latin columba, meaning dove. It first described a dovecote, the wall of small nesting holes where pigeons and doves were kept. A wall of urn niches looks much the same, and the name stuck (Wikipedia).

How a columbarium works

Think of a niche as a small above-ground plot for an urn.

The family buys or reserves a niche from whoever runs the columbarium: a cemetery, church or crematory.
The urn is placed inside. This is called inurnment.
The niche is closed with a front. That's usually a stone or bronze plaque engraved with the name and dates, or a glass panel so the urn can be seen.
The family can visit, the same way they'd visit a grave.

Some niches are sized for one urn. Others hold two, so a couple can be placed together.

Indoor and outdoor columbaria

Columbaria can be freestanding or part of a mausoleum or other building. Both kinds are common.

	Indoor columbarium	Outdoor columbarium
Where	Inside a mausoleum, chapel or church	Freestanding walls or garden structures on cemetery grounds
Visiting	Depends on when the building is open	Depends on cemetery hours
Weather	Sheltered	Exposed, so fronts are usually stone or bronze

How many niches are in a columbarium?

There's no standard number. A columbarium can be a single garden wall or a building with niches on several floors. If you want a particular spot, such as eye level or next to a family member, ask how many niches are still open and whether more are planned.

What happens at a columbarium service

An inurnment service is usually short and much like a graveside service. Family and friends gather at the niche, a member of the clergy or a celebrant may say a few words, and the urn is placed inside. The front goes on afterward. If the engraving isn't ready yet, it's often added later.

Veterans get the same honors either way. The VA says cremated remains "are buried or inurned in national cemeteries in the same manner and with the same honors as casketed remains," and it offers bronze niche markers for columbaria (VA National Cemetery Administration). Our guide to veterans funeral benefits covers eligibility.

Choosing an urn for a niche

The niche decides the urn, not the other way round. Get the inside measurements of the niche before you buy an urn, and ask whether two urns have to fit. If the niche has a glass front, the urn will be on display, so its look matters more. Our cremation urn guide explains sizes and materials.

Columbarium, mausoleum or burial plot?

Option	What it holds	Where
Columbarium niche	An urn of cremated remains	Above ground, in a wall or building
Urn plot	An urn, buried	In the ground at a cemetery
Mausoleum crypt	A casket	Above ground, in a building
Scattering	Nothing is kept	On land or water, subject to local rules

A mausoleum can contain a columbarium, which is why the two words get mixed up. For more on cemetery choices, see how to choose a cemetery.

Columbaria and Catholic families

The Catholic Church allows cremation, but it asks that ashes be kept in a sacred place. Its 2016 instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo says ashes "must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery or, in certain cases, in a church or an area, which has been set aside for this purpose." The same document says ashes shouldn't be kept at home, scattered or divided among family members (Vatican). That's why many Catholic cemeteries and some parishes have their own columbaria.

Questions to ask before you buy a niche

What are the inside measurements, and how many urns can it hold?
What does the price include: the niche, opening and closing, the front, engraving, ongoing care?
Can we choose the front, or is it set by the cemetery?
Are flowers, photos or small mementos allowed?
When is the columbarium open to visitors?
Can the niche be transferred or sold back if our plans change?

Prices aren't standard and depend on the location and the spot you pick. Ask each cemetery for a written price list so you can compare.

Finding a columbarium near you

Of the 24,186 funeral homes and cemeteries listed on FuneralUS, 280 list a columbarium on site, across 46 states (as listed, October 2026). Search the FuneralUS directory by city or ZIP code, and call ahead, because our listings may not show every columbarium in your area.

Columbarium FAQ

What is the plural of columbarium? Columbaria is the traditional plural. Columbariums is also widely used and correct.

Is a columbarium the same as a mausoleum? No. A mausoleum holds caskets in crypts. A columbarium holds urns in niches. Some mausoleums have a columbarium inside.

Can you visit a columbarium? Yes. Outdoor columbaria are usually open during cemetery hours. Indoor ones follow the building's hours, so check before you go.