PAVIA, a town of Austrian Italy, in the government of Milan, is situated in a delightful plain, on a navigable part of the Tesino, about four miles above the place where that river joins the Po. Its fortifications were for merly strong, but they are now neglected and falling to decay. It is nearly of a circular form, and is about a mile in diameter; the population however bears no pro portion to the space which the town occupies, being esti mated at not more than 25,000, in consequence of which it has a dull and deserted appearance. The streets are broad and straight, but the houses aro in general low. In the centre of the town there is a large square, surround ed with arcades. There are still some remains of the numerous and lofty Gothic towers, which at a former pe riod procured for this city the appellation of Pavia Turri ta, or the city of an hundred towers. There is a beauti ful marble bridge over the Tesino, which was erected in the fourteenth century. None of the public edifices is any way remarkable. The cathedral is an irregular pile of buildings, erected at different times: it contains the tomb of the celebrated Boethius, who was a native of this city, and who composed, while imprisoned here, his trea tise De Consolatione Philo8ophix. In the immediate neigh bourhood of Pavia stands the abbey of Chiaravalle, a grand and majestic build;ig; the architecture is Gothic and Saxon intermingled; the walls are of solid white mar ble, and the interior is richly ornamented. But what chiefly distinguishes Pavia is its university, which has long maintained a high reputation, and has produced many eminent individuals ; among its professors it can boast the names of Spallanzani, Volta, and many others who have ranked high in the scientific world. The build ings of the university are handsome, and contain an ex cellent museum of natural history, an anatomical theatre, spacious lecture rooms, and a library, consisting of 70,000 volumes ; there is also a botanical garden belonging to it. The number of students, however, is now much de creased.
The manufactures of Pavia are trifling, and confined chiefly to silk-weaving. Its situation on the Tesino is highly favourable for commerce; but the only articles of export are the productions of the adjacent country ; wine, cheese, and rice, are sent to various parts of Italy, and an extensive trade in silk is carried on with Turin, Genoa, and Lyons. The climate is mild, but owing to the extent
to which the cultivation of rice, and the system of irriga tion are carried on in the neighbourhood, the air is infect ed with the Malaria. Pavia is the see of a bishop suffra gan of Milan.
Pavia, anciently named Tieinum, from the river on which it is situated, was founded by a tribe of Cisalpine Gauls. When the Romans conquered this part of Gaul, Pavia was made a municipal town, and its inhabitants af terwards obtained the privileges of Roman citizens, and were enrolled in the tribe Papia. Hence, when the city was rebuilt in 476, after having been burnt by the Heru Bans, it tooil the name of Papia. When the Lombards became masters of this part of Italy, they made Pavia the capital of their dominions; and it continued to be the re sidence of their monarchs till their final overthrow in 774, by Charlemagne. From that period it was alternately subject to foreign powers and domestic tyrants, till the 12th century, when it obtained its liberty, and assumed a republican form of government. It was distinguished at this time for the zeal with which it entered into the cru sades, having supplied no less than 15,000 men to the army of Italy. In the 14th century it became subject to Galeas Visconti, duke of Milan, who, by the public edi fices and charitable institutions which he founded, was one of its greatest benefactors. On the extinction of that family, their dominions became the subject of contention between the French and Imperialists; and in 1525, the decisive battle of Pavia was fought, in which the French were totally routed, and their king, Francis I. taken pri soner. In the following year, Pavia was taken and sacked by Count Lautrec, the French general. In 1706, it ex pelled the French garrison, and received the Anstrians, who were besieging it ; from that period it continued sub ject to Austria, till 1796, when it was taken by the French, but in 1814 it was restored to Austria. East Long. 9' 48". North Lat. 45° 10' 47".