Pavia
a city of northern Italy, capital of a province of same name, on the Ticino, 19 miles S. of Milan. In the cathedral, commenced in 1448, but never finished, are the ashes of St. Augustine, in a sarcophagus ornamented with 50 bassi-rilievi, 95 statues, and numerous grotesques. The Certosa of Pavia, the most splendid monastery in the world, lies 4 miles N. of the city. It was founded in 1396, contains many beautiful paintings, and abounds in the richest ornamentation. The University of Pavia is said to have been founded by Charlemagne in 774. It consists of numerous colleges, a library of 120,000 volumes, a numismatic collection, anatomical, natural history, and other museums, a botanic garden, a school of fine arts, etc. The university is attended by about 1,600 students. Manufactures silk. Here, Feb. 24, 1525, took place the battle of Pavia (sometimes called the second battle of Marignano), in which the Imperialists, under Lanney, defeated the French, and took François I. prisoner. Pop. about 45,000.