PAVIA, a frontier city of Austrian Italy, capital of a province of the same name, stands on the left bank of the Ticino, about 2 miles above its confluence with the Po, and 19 S.S.W. of Milan. On the opposite side of the river stands the suburb of Borgo Ticino, connected with Pavia by a handsome covered bridge of eight arches. The ancient walls which surround the city, being about 3 miles in circuit, inclose a much larger area than is required for the present population; and thus the numerous unoccupied spaces and uninhabited or ruinous dwellings give to the town a somewhat desolate look. It is, however, in general well built, and contains many venerable and splendid edifices. The chief thoroughfare is the Strada Nuova or Corso, extending from the bridge over the Ticino through the middle of the town, and terminating at the other end in a handsome gate. Along this street is erected the chief buildings, consisting of palaces, colleges, and churches, intermingled with theatres, shops, and coffee-houses. The smaller streets branch off from this at right angles; some leading to squares lined with stately but often neglected palaces. Among the churches the chief place is occupied by the cathedral, a large but unfinished building, begun in 1488. It is surmounted by a dome, and contains some good pictures, though these cannot be well seen, from the darkness of the interior. In a side chapel is the tomb of St Augustine, adorned with 290 figures in all, and remarkable both for the beauty of the design and the delicacy of the workmanship. The church of San Michele is the oldest in Pavia, and perhaps in all Italy, having been built probably in the beginning of the seventh century, though the precise date is unknown. It is in the style adopted by the Lombards, and is richly ornamented both in the interior and exterior. A specimen of architecture more approaching the English-Gothic than that of most Italian churches is to be found in Santa Maria del Carmine, which is beautifully built of brick, and has several fine windows and doors in the west front. Another church built of brick is that of San Francesco, a fine specimen of the Italian-Gothic style. The celebrated San Pietro in Cielo d'Oro, which is alluded to by Dante, is now partly in ruins and partly used as a storehouse. It contains the tomb of the famous Boethius. Several of the churches which formerly existed at Pavia have been demolished; and although before the reign of Joseph II. there were numerous large and wealthy convents, few of these now remain. The citadel of Pavia, which was completed in 1469, consisted, when entire, of a square court with towers at the corners, and surrounded by a double cloister; but one side of it was destroyed in 1527, and it was still further injured by the French in 1796; although it still presents a fine appearance. The treasures of art and antiquity that it formerly contained were carried to France by Louis XII. in 1499; and the place is now used for barracks. The university of Pavia gives to the town no small portion of its celebrity. It is of great antiquity, having been founded, it is said, by Charlemagne in 774, and restored in 1361 by Galeazzo Visconti, to whom it owes many of its privileges. It contains 13 colleges, 3 of which support gratuitously about 120 students; and there are faculties of law, medicine, philosophy, and mathematics. There were in the session 1853–4, 55 professors and 21 assistants; and the number of students was 1423. This university has long been celebrated for its medical and surgical teaching; and among the distinguished men who have been connected with it are Spallanzani and Volta, who were both professors of natural history here. Attached to the university are a library of 50,000 volumes, a museum, and a botanic garden. The buildings are extensive and regular, composing five quadrangles; and there are four square towers from 200 to 250 feet high. Similar towers once adorned Pavia in such numbers that the town was called Civitas Turrigera. Besides the university, there is an ecclesiastical seminary, several superior and elementary schools, an institute of fine arts, &c. The charitable establishments include an hospital for foundlings, two for orphans, a reformatory institution, and others. About 5 miles from Pavia, on the road to Milan, stands the Certosa, a splendid Carthusian convent, with a fine Gothic church. No manufactures of any consequence are carried on at Pavia; but the trade, though confined to the produce of the adjacent country, is in these articles considerable. Ticinum, the ancient city which occupied the site of Pavia, was never of much consequence under the Romans; but the Lombard kings, who gave it the name of Papia, made it their capital. It is chiefly notable in history for the battle fought in its vicinity in 1625 between Francis I. of France and the army of Charles V., under the viceroy Lannoy, when the former was defeated and taken captive. Pop. 25,750.

The province of Pavia, which has an area of 400 square miles, is one of the most fertile parts of Lombardy, lying entirely in the plain of the Po, containing good pasture-land, and producing corn, wine, fruit, and hemp. Pop. (1853) 173,879.

PAVILION. See Glossary to Architecture.