P is for Parvis

Parvise or Parvis 

 A parvise or parvis refers to a room over the porch of a building used for the gathering of the church. These rooms are found in Norman buildings and meeting places throughout England. At times these rooms were used as school rooms. 

 A parvise or parvis also refers to an enclosed area or courtyard in front of a building – especially a building like a cathedral or building designed for the gathering of the church. In some cases a parvis is like a cloister which is surrounded with colonnades or porticoes. If there is a single portico or colonnade in front of a building it is considered to be a porch.


 The word 'parvis' comes to via an Old French from the  Latin word 'paradisus', meaning 'paradise. It is from Anglo-Norman and middle French derivatives. It was used to describe the front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.