St Phillip Neri founded a religious congregation called the Oratory. The Oratory began in the early 1550s as small and informal meetings for religious discussion and prayer; these meetings soon began to attract large numbers of people. In 1558, when Phillip obtained a larger room to hold the meetings in, the practice of singing of "laudi spirituali" was introduced. Singing "laudi" was a popular practice in Florence following the legacy of Girolamo Savonarola who strongly encouraged its use, and it is natural therefore that Phillip would incorporate this practice into his meetings. Although the precise date is unknown, Animuccia was involved with music for these meetings from early on and remained "" of the Oratory until his death. Neri was so pleased with Animuccia that he said he had "seen soul... fly upwards towards heaven". The Oratory was able to attract many musicians who volunteered their services; this included the famous singer Francesco Soto de Langa from the Capella Sistina, the composer Palestrina, and probably the composer Tomás Luis de Victoria who lived in the same house as St. Phillip Neri for five years.