High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Philip Romolo Neri (Italian: Filippo de Neri; also known as Apostle of Rome; July 22, 1515 ? May 25, 1595), was an Italian priest, noted for founding a society of secular priests called the "Congregation of the Oratory". He was born in Florence, the youngest child of Francesco, a lawyer, and his wife Lucrezia da Mosciano, whose family were nobility in the service of the state. Neri 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 ascribe most of his progress to the teaching of two amongst them, Zenobio de' Medici and Servanzio Mini.