oratory

noun

1. A private chapel or prayer room.

   “I will retire to my oratory, and pray to the blessed Virgin to inspire you with her holy counsels […].”

2. A Roman Catholic chapel; a building for public or private worship that is not a parish church.

   “By public oratories are meant those attached to monasteries, convents, seminaries, etc., having a public entrance by which the faithful have access to them.”

3. (specifically)A Catholic church belonging to the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri.

   “They had been given the old Oscott College premises as a temporary home, but were content there until Oratories could be established in the cities. St Philip Neri had specifically intended that the Oratory should be a city-based form of communal and missionary life.”

4. (uncountable)The art of public speaking, especially in a formal, expressive, or forceful manner.
5. (uncountable)Eloquence; the quality of artistry and persuasiveness in speech or writing.

   “Rising from humble farmhand to community organizer to a leader of the national Fatah party, Mr. Barghouti became known for his soaring oratory and common touch.”

6. (alt-of)Alternative letter-case form of oratory: a church belonging to the Oratory.

name

1. The Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, a society of priests and lay brothers founded in 1575.