KEIII
952
NERIAS
1551, was ordained priest in the church of the Lateran. The year previous to his admission into the priesthood he had exerted himself for the conversion of several as- sociates of his, and he succeeded with Salviati, a brother of the cardinal of that name, and Tarugio, who after- wards became a cardinal, and Baronius, so celebrated in ecclesiastical history as a writer, and some others. No sooner had their zeal been enlisted in the interests of the Church than he banded them to<;ether in a confrater- nity for the care of poor pilj^rims visiting Home, and other houseless persons, as well as of the sick generally, which still subsists, and which has numbered among its associates many of the most distinguished members of the Roman Catholic Church. This confraternity is noteworthy, moreover, as having been the germ of the far more celebrated Congregation of the Oratory (q. v.), which was founded by St. Philip in concert with these friends. Besides the general objects above indicated, and the spiritual duties designed for the personal sancti- lication of the members, the main object of this associa- tion was tlie moral instruction and religious training of the young and uneducated, who were assembled in chap- els or oratorios, for prayer and for religious and moral instruction. The personal character of Neri, the unself- ish devotedness of his life, his unaffected piety, his gen- uine love of the poor, his kindly and cheerful disposi- tion, and, jierhaps, as much as any of the rest, a certain quaint humor, and a tinge of what may almost be called drollery wliich pervaded many of his sayings and doings, contributed to popularize his institute. Besides being a man of education and general information, he could readily enter into the spirit of the respective pursuits of all whom he sought out for his assistance, and thus so greatly endeared himself to every one who was brought in contact with him. JNIany and peculiar were the means he used to further his purpose. Thus, e, g., indirectly Neri became the founder of the Oratorios (q. v.). As a further means of withdrawing youth from dangerous amusements, sacred musical entertainments (thence called by the name of oratorio) were held in the ora- tory, at first consisting solely of hymns, but afterwards partaking of the nature of sacred operas or dramas, some of which were written by distinguished writers, such as Zeno and Metastasio, except that they did not admit the scenic or dramatic accompaniments of these more .secular compositions; the parts were sung, like those of an opera, with this difference, that the singers were stationed in a gallery of the chapel. The chapel being called in Italian " Oratorio," i. e. a i)lace of prayer, came to be applied to the performance, and the congre- gation or order constituted by Neri hence took the name of Fathers of the Oratory, Besides the musical entertainments, religious and literary lectures also formed part of his plan, and it was in the lectures originally pre- pared for the Oratory that, at the instance of Neri, the gigantic Church Ilistoj-y of Baronius had its origin. But tliough Neri's great characteristics were simply charity and a chcerfid piety, the people, who greatly revered him, believed him to be a more than commonly en- dowed saint, and he was by them said to have the power of working miracles and curing possession. He no doubt wrouglit miracles in freeing people from the possession of evil spirits, for, as he himself said, the idea of being possessetl of evil spirits was not to be too readily re- ceived, and its best remedy is cheerfulness, as it often arises only from melancholy. These precepts he carried into practice to such an extent tliat, having been ac- cused of allowing aud even encouraging worKUy pleas- ures, such as dancing, etc., among his disciples, he was suspended from his lunctions as confessor and preacher; he was even complained of to the pope as trying to found a new sect. The accusation, however, did not prevail, and he was soon after restored. In 1570 the nocturnal meetings of his society, held simply for devo- tional and charitable purposes as above .spoken of, were made the ground of new accusations, yet he became but the more coiitirmcd in his peculiar views. Some have ac-
1 cased him of triviality, but it is more likely that he meant his practices as a check to the sanctimonious,
I Pharisaical gravity and decorousness which prevailed in Home after 15G0. Thougli pressed on several occasions to accept the office of cardinal, he steadily declined. Theiner relates that when Henry IV', of France, joined the Roman Catholic Church in 1593, the pope refused to revoke the excommunication pronounced against the prince ; a total separation of the French from the Ro- man Church seemed unavoidable, but Baronius having occasion to confess the pope, Neri forbade liis granting him the absolution unless he promised to grant it in turn to the king. This plan succeeded, and Henry IV rewarded the order by munificent donations. The Brotherhood of the Oratory was regularly organized by the pope in 1575; according to its regulation the mem- bers are all equal, and have to perform in turn all the menial duties necessary in the community. (They show yet an inscription said to have been traced by the hand of the great Church historian : " Caes. Baronius, cocus perpetuus.") All the affairs of the communities were to be decided by the majority of votes. Neri, more pru- dent than other founders of ascetic organizations, did not suffer the members of the Oratory to bind them- selves by perpetual vows as do the monks, preferring that the spirit of charity and sacrifice should alone unite them, and for this end each member had to pay a monthly fee for the expense of the house, as the lodg- ings alone were free. The institution was approved by Gregorj' XIII in 1575, and it soon spread over Italy, France, and other countries. The congregation " De rOratoire" has produced many distinguished men, Baro- nius and Massillon among others. Study, preaching, and the education of youth are the chief occupations of its members. Being bound by no vows, any member of the Oratory can at any time withdraw with all his property. The present Orator}-, Sta. IMaria at Valli- cella (Rome), was the residence of Neri after 1583. It has a good librarj^, and the oratorios continue to be per- formed, especially from All-saints' Day (Nov. 3d) to Palm Sunday. Neri resigned the office of superior of the community in favor of Baronius, and died a few years afterwards. May 25, 1595. He was canonized in 1()62 by Gregory XV. Some of his letters, and his liicordi, or advice to youth, have been published, as well as two sonnets out of many which he composed. The regidations he left for the guidance of his order were published in 1612. Neri was an amiable, virtuous, and religious man, and his example had a great in- fluence on the clergy of Rome. See (lallonio, Vita beate Phil. Nerii (Rome," KiOO) ; Vita Phil. Xerii (Munich, IGIO); Vide y Ilechos de S. Filipe Neri (1G13); Bacci, Vita diS. Filippo Nen (1622) ; Vasquez, ^. Filipe Neri Epitome de sua Vita (1G51); Manni, Rayyionamenti sulla vita di F. Neri (178G); Vie de St. Philippe de Neri (1847); J'aber, Spirit and Genius of St. Phil. Nei-i (1850); Ranke, IJisf. of the Papacy, i, 323-3G7 sq.; Ilase, Ch. Hist. p. 4G2. See also Okatoky, Coxgue-