The Collaborative International Dictionary
Parvis \Par"vis\, Parvise \Par"vise\, n. [F. parvis, fr. LL.
paravisus, fr. L. paradisus. See Paradise.]
A court of entrance to, or an inclosed space before, a
church; hence, a church porch; -- sometimes formerly used as
place of meeting, as for lawyers.
--Chaucer.
Wiktionary
n. (alternative spelling of parvis English)
Wikipedia
Parvis or parvise is the open space in front of and around a cathedral or church, especially when surrounded by either colonnades or porticoes, as at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Usage examples of "parvise".
By way of preparation for his examination the sophist was required to be diligent in attending disputations in the parvise, and when he presented himself for his own ordeal he had to make oath that these exercises had been duly performed.
Cathedral is usually entered from the north-west through the beautiful parvise porch of Bishop Booth.