Oratory
Oratory is the art of
eloquent speech. In ancient
Greece and
Rome, oratory was studied as a component of
rhetoric (that is, composition and delivery of speeches), and was an important skill in public and private life.
Aristotle and
Quintilian discussed oratory, and the subject, with definitive rules and models, was emphasised as a part of a "complete education" during the
Middle Ages and
Renaissance, although this was generally confined to the church.
The development of
parliaments in the 18th century saw the rise of great political orators; the ability to wield words effectively became one of the chief tools of politicians, and often made the greatest difference in their positions. By the mid 20th century, oratory became less grandiloquent and more conversational; for instance, the "
fireside chats" of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The term
oratory has generally fallen into disuse; used mostly as a historical or subject term. See
public speaking and
orator.
In the
Roman Catholic Church, an
oratory is a semi-public place of
worship constructed for the benefit of a group of persons (
Code of Canon law, can. 1223). Other faithful may attend the church under certain circumstances. An oratory is more private than a
church, since in a church everyone has a right to attend. It is, however, more public than a
chapel since only the owners of a chapel have the right of entrance.
The oldest extant oratory is the
Archiepiscopal Chapel in
Ravenna (ca. 500).
Oratorians are responsible for the construction of many oratories in
Great Britain.
Saint Joseph's Oratory is the name of a Roman Catholic
basilica in
Montreal.
The term "
Oratorians" also refers to the congregation of priests founded by
St Philip Neri in
Rome,
Italy in
1575.
*
Figures of Speech*
Abraham Lincoln's Lost Speech
