Philip Neri , born Filippo Romolo Neri, (21 July 151526 May 1595) was an Italian Catholic priest who founded the Congregation of the Oratory, a society of secular clergy dedicated to pastoral care and charitable work. He is sometimes referred to as the "Second Apostle of Rome" after Peter the Apostle, and sometimes as the "Third Apostle of Rome", after Peter and Paul the Apostle. Neri's spiritual mission emphasised personal holiness and direct service to others, particularly through the education of young people and care for the poor and sick. His work played a significant role in the Counter-Reformation, especially within the city of Rome.
Neri's early life in Florence and later move to Rome in 1533 marked the beginning of his dedication to missionary work. He initially gained prominence for his pastoral care and efforts to minister to marginalised communities, including prostitutes and the destitute. His passion for reform and personal holiness drew many followers, leading to the formation of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims and the Congregation of the Oratory. The Oratory became a centre of spiritual renewal and pastoral innovation, focusing on prayer, music, and informal spiritual gatherings that combined religious instruction with personal reflection.
As a spiritual leader, Neri was noted for his humility, humour, piety, and ability to inspire deep devotion among both clergy and laypeople. His friendship with figures such as Ignatius of Loyola and influence over the Society of Jesus played a role in the broader movement of Church reform. Neri also engaged in limited political activity, most notably when he intervened to secure the reconciliation of Henry IV of France with the Church.
Canonised in 1622, Philip Neri remains a significant figure in Catholic tradition. His feast day is celebrated on 26 May, and he is venerated for his contributions to personal spirituality and the Catholic Church. His legacy is associated with the Seven Churches Walk, a pilgrimage he initiated, and his promotion of musical forms such as the "laude" and oratorios, which had lasting impacts on sacred music.
Early life
Philip was the son of Francesco di Neri, a lawyer, and his wife Lucrezia da Mosciano, whose family were nobility in the service of the state. He was carefully brought up and received his early teaching from the friars at San Marco, the famous Dominican monastery in Florence. He was accustomed in later life to ascribing most of his progress to the teaching of two of them, Zenobio de' Medici and Servanzio Mini. At the age of 18, in 1533, Philip was sent to his uncle, Romolo, a wealthy merchant at San Germano (now Cassino), a then Neapolitan town near the base of Monte Cassino, to assist him in his business, and with the hope that Philip might inherit Romolo's fortune. Philip did gain Romolo's confidence and affection, but during his stay, he also experienced a religious conversion. From then onward, Philip no longer cared for the things of this world. In 1533, he left San Germano to live in Rome.
Founding of the Oratory
thumb|200px|Philip Neri
thumb|200px|St. Philip Neri and the [[Virgin Mary, by Tiepolo]]
Mission work
After arriving in Rome, Philip became a tutor in the house of a Florentine aristocrat named Galeotto Caccia. After two years, he began to pursue his studies (for three years) under the guidance of the Augustinians. where the devotion of the Forty Hours of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was first introduced into Rome.
The Oratory
In 1551, Philip received all the minor orders, and was ordained deacon and finally priest (on 23 May). He thought of going to India as a missionary but was dissuaded by his friends who saw that there was abundant work to be done in Rome. Accordingly, he settled down, with some companions, at the Hospital of San Girolamo della Carità. There in 1556, he tentatively founded the Congregation of the Oratory, an institute with which his name is especially connected. The scheme at first was no more than a series of evening meetings in a hall (the Oratory), at which there were prayers, hymns, and readings from Scripture, the church fathers, and the Martyrology, followed by a lect of some religious question proposed for consideration. The musical selections (settings of scenes from sacred history) were called oratorios. Giovanni Palestrina was one of Philip's followers and composed music for the services. He was at first reluctant, but by consent of Pope Pius IV he accepted while remaining in charge of San Girolamo where the exercises of the Oratory were kept up. At this time, the new society included among its members Caesar Baronius (the ecclesiastical historian), Francesco Maria Tarugi (afterwards Archbishop of Avignon), and Ottavio Paravicini – all of whom later became cardinals – and also Gallonius (Antonio Galloni, author of a well-known work on the Sufferings of the Martyrs), Ancina, Bordoni, and other men of ability and distinction. In 1574, the Florentines built a large oratory or mission room for the society, next to San Giovanni – to save them the fatigue of the daily journey to and from San Girolamo, and to provide a more convenient place of assembly – and the headquarters were transferred there.
As the community grew, and its mission work extended, the need for a church entirely its own made itself felt, and the small parish church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, conveniently situated in the middle of Rome, was offered and accepted. The building, however, not large enough for their purpose, was pulled down, and a splendid church was erected on the site. It was immediately after taking possession of their new quarters that Philip formally organised, under permission of a papal bull dated 15 July 1575, a community of secular priests, called the Congregation of the Oratory. The new church was consecrated early in 1577, and the clergy of the new society at once resigned the charge of San Giovanni dei Fiorentini; Philip himself did not leave San Girolamo until 1583, and then only by an injunction of the pope that he, as the superior, should reside at the chief house of his congregation. He was at first elected for a term of three years (as was common in modern societies) but in 1587 was nominated superior for life. He was, however, entirely free from personal ambition, and had no desire to be superior general over several dependent houses, so he desired that all congregations formed on his model outside Rome should be autonomous, governing themselves, and with no provision for Philip to retain control over any new foundation they might themselves make elsewhere – a regulation afterward formally confirmed by a brief of Gregory XV in 1622.
Political activity
thumb|right|200px|Philip Neri, as painted by [[Guercino in 1656]]
Although Philip refrained from becoming involved in political matters, he broke this rule in 1593–1595 when he persuaded Pope Clement VIII to revoke the excommunication and anathema pronounced against Henry IV of France
Philip is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 26 May.
Legacy
The Oratory
The congregation Philip Neri founded is of an original stamp, little resembling a monastery of the older type, and its rules (not drawn up by Philip Neri, but approved by Pope Paul V in 1612) leave considerable freedom of action compared with traditional religious foundations.
thumb|upright=0.6|Statue of Philip Neri in [[Congregados Basilica|Congregados Church, Braga, Portugal]]
The Congregation of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri is a pontifical society of apostolic life of Catholic priests and lay brothers who live together in a community bound together but without formal vows. They are commonly referred to as Oratorians (Oratorian Fathers). Oratorians commit themselves to membership in a particular, independent, self-governing local community (an Oratory, usually named for the place in which it is located). In some locations, the local Oratory has been designated to administer a particular parish; others may be tasked with campus ministry.
The French Oratory
The Oratory movement spread in the early period, especially in Italy. In France, a separate and distinct foundation from the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri was founded, though inspired by St Philip's model. Best known as the French Oratory, it was founded in 1611 in Paris, France, by Pierre de Bérulle (1575–1629), later a cardinal of the Catholic Church. The French Oratory had a determinant influence on the French school of spirituality throughout the 17th century. Unlike St Philip's Oratory, it operates under the central authority of a Superior General. Early members included Nicolas Malebranche, Louis Thomassin, Jules Mascaron and Jean Baptiste Massillon. Suppressed at the French Revolution, it was revived by Pierre Pététot, curé of St Roch, in 1852, as the "Oratory of Jesus and Mary Immaculate".
Music
Philip Neri encouraged the singing of the Lauda spiritual (laude) in his oratory services. The prominent composers Tomás Luis de Victoria and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina probably participated in this music. Historian Francesco Danieli speculates that this would have produced a unique and varied aesthetic experience.
Seven Churches Walk
Philip sometimes led "excursions" to other churches, often with music and a picnic on the way. In 1553, Neri started the tradition of making a one-day pilgrimage to seven churches, starting from St. Peter's Basilica and ending at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.
The tradition of visiting all seven churches was started by Neri to combine conviviality and the sharing of a common religious experience through discovering the heritage of the early saints. Neri drew up an itinerary that included visits to St. Peter's Basilica, then St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, St. Sebastian's, St. John Lateran, Holy Cross-in-Jerusalem, St. Lawrence-Outside-the-Walls, and finally St. Mary Major. He and a few friends and acquaintances would gather before dawn and set out on their walk. At each church, there would be prayer, hymn singing, and a brief sermon by Neri.
A simple meal was pre-arranged at the gardens of the Villa Mattei. The Mattei family opened their grounds for pilgrims to rest and provided them with bread, wine, cheese, eggs, apples, and salami. During these "picnics", musicians would play and singers would perform.
The street which links Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls with San Sebastiano fuori le mura is still called "Via Delle Sette Chiese" (Seven Churches Walk). These pilgrimages were designed to be a counterpoint to the raucous behaviour of Carnival.