ROMILLI, BARTOLOMEO CARLO. - Archbishop, born in Bergamo on March 14, 1795, died in Milan on May 7, 1859. Appointed parish priest of Trescorre in 1838, he distinguished himself by his spirit of charity and pastoral zeal, qualities he confirmed during his brief episcopate in Cremona, where he was elected bishop on January 19, 1845.
Promoted by Pius IX to the archbishopric of Milan at the designation of Emperor Ferdinand I on June 14, 1846, his appointment was met with overwhelming enthusiasm, also due to the fact that for twenty-eight years the Ambrosian Church had been governed by the Austrian cardinal Gaysruck. The entry of Archbishop R. on September 4 of the same year gave rise to scenes of ardent Italian spirit, which truly seemed like a prelude to the Milanese uprisings of 1848. However, R., a man of study and piety, was not swayed by the political events that followed, and despite enormous difficulties—among which the strong contrasts and divisions within the clergy were particularly notable—he carried out significant pastoral work: he conducted the canonical visitation, established the Oblates in the seminaries, multiplied the Conferences of St. Vincent de' Paoli, protected the religious orders, safeguarded the Ambrosian rite, reorganized the diocesan archive, and gave every support to the foundation of the Institute of Foreign Missions.