PAVILION, in Architecture, signifies a kind of turret or building, usually insulated, and contained under a single roof; sometimes square, and sometimes in form of a dome; Pavilion and it is so called from the resemblance of its roof to a tent. Pavilions are sometimes projecting pieces in the front of a building, marking the middle of it; but sometimes the pavilion flanks a corner, in which case it is called an angular pavilion. The Louvre is flanked with four pavilions. These are usually higher than the rest of the building. Pavilions built in gardens are commonly called summer-houses, pleasure-houses, and the like. Some castles or forts consist only of a single pavilion.
Pavilion, in military affairs, signifies a tent raised upon posts to lodge in during the summer time.
Pavilion is also sometimes applied to flags, colours, ensigns, standards, banners, and the like.
Pavilion, in Heraldry, denotes a covering in the form of a tent, which invests or wraps up the armories of different kings and sovereigns, depending only upon God and their sword. The pavilion consists of two parts; the top, which is the chapeau or coronet, and the curtain, which forms the mantle. According to the French heralds, none but sovereign princes may bear the pavilion entire and in all its parts. Those who are elective, or have any dependence, say the heralds, must take off the head, and retain nothing but the curtains.
Pavilions, amongst jewellers, are the under-sides and corners of the brilliants, lying between the girdle and the collet.
Paving, the construction of ground-floors, streets, or highways, in such a manner that they may be conveniently walked upon. In Great Britain the pavement of the streets and roads usually consists of flint or rubble-stone; but courts, stables, kitchens, halls, churches, and the like, are paved with tiles, bricks, flags, or fire-stone, and sometimes with a kind of freestone or ragstone.
Pavements of churches frequently consist of stones of several colours, but chiefly black and white, and of several forms, but chiefly squares and lozenges, artfully disposed. Indeed there needs no great variety of colours to produce a surprising diversity of figures and arrangements. M. Truchet, in the Memoirs of the French Academy, has shown by the rules of combination, that two square stones, divided diagonally into two colours, may be joined together, chequerwise in sixty-four different ways; which appears surprising enough, since two letters or figures can only be combined two ways. The reason is, that letters only change their situation with regard to the first and second, the top and bottom remaining the same; but in the arrangement of these stones, each admits of four several situations, in every one of which the other square may be changed sixteen times, which gives sixty-four combinations.
Indeed, from a further examination of those sixty-four combinations, he found that there were only thirty-two different figures, each figure being repeated twice in the same situation, though in a different combination, so that the two differed from each other only in the transposition of the dark and the light parts.
Pavo, in Astronomy, a constellation in the southern hemisphere, unknown to the ancients, and not visible in our latitude.
Pavor, a Roman deity, whose worship was introduced by Tullus Hostilius. The latter, in a panic, vowed a shrine to him and one to Pallor, Paleness; and therefore both are found on the coins of that family.