In
architecture, an
exedra is a semicircular recess or
plinth, often crowned by a
semi-dome, which is sometimes set into a building's facade. The original Greek sense (
ἐξέδρα, a seat out of doors) was applied to a room that opened onto a
stoa, ringed with curved high-backed stone benches, a suitable place for a philosophical conversation. An exedra may also be expressed by a curved break in a
colonnade, perhaps with a semicircular seat.