Phiale is a term in Ancient Greek architecture for a building or columned arcade around a fountain, the equivalent of the Roman nymphaeum

Nymphaeum

A nymphaeum or nymphaion , in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs....

. The falling water from the fountain was and usually still is collected in a flattish bowl-shaped body, the usual meaning of phiale

Phiale (libation vessel)

A phiale is the name given in modern terminology to a kind of ancient Greek ceramic or metallic vessel. Its form was that of a wide round shallow bowl without handles or a foot , principally used for making libations ....

, as a shape for a vessel in Ancient Greek pottery or silverware.

In Byzantine architecture

Byzantine architecture

Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...

 the phiale was also built in the atrium

Atrium (architecture)

In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...

 of, or just outside, a church or the katholikon

Katholikon

A Katholikon or Catholicon is the major temple of a monastery, or diocese in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The name derives from the fact that it is the largest temple where all gather together to celebrate the major feast days of the liturgical year. At other times, the smaller temples or...

(main church) of a monastery

Monastery

Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...

. Typically, there is an open arcade of columns supporting a small dome

Dome

A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....

, often octagonal, as a symbol of the mystery (sacrament

Sacrament

A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...

) of baptism

Baptism

In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...

 or new life. In addition to allowing visitors to wash and refresh themselves before entering the church, the phiale is used for taking water for benediction

Benediction

A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service.-Judaism:...

s and in the ceremony of the Great Blessing of Waters at Epiphany.