Even if he was not an ecclesiastic, he was proposed as the new bishop of Brescia by the citizen of the town, and this candidature was approved by both the Republic of Venice and by Pope Paul IV who formally appointed him on 14 March 1559.[3] He was ordained priest in Brescia in the spring of 1559,[4] and consecrated bishop on 11 June of the same year in the Cathedral of Brescia by his general vicar Vincenzo Durante bishop of Termoli.[5]
Domenico Bollani participated in the final stages of the Council of Trent, and he was ready to implement the consequent reform in his diocese. Following the requests of the council, he founded the seminary in 1568, he gathered a diocesan synod in 1574 and was anxious to personally visit the parishes of the diocese of Brescia. When in 1577 the plague spread in the city, in a moment's hesitation he left the town, then he chose to return to take care of the sick, following the example of Charles Borromeo. In 1567 he completed the construction of the new Bishop's Palace in Brescia, which started almost a century before.[3]
He died in Brescia on 12 August 1579 in the arms of Charles Borromeo.[2] He was buried in the Cathedral of Brescia.[5]
