It is reported about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he disliked praying in the mihrab, and he used to say: "This (that is, the mihrab) belongs to churches, so do not imitate the People of the Book." (The narrator explains:) That is, he disliked praying inside the niche.
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب الصلاة / 1982