The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Sorrento-Castellammare di Stabia,[1] in Campania, has existed since 1986. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Naples, having lost its status as a metropolitan in 1979. The diocese of Castellammare di Stabia was united into the historic archdiocese of Sorrento, in 1986.[2]
Among the known bishops of Sorrento the first is St. Renatus, at the beginning of the fifth century. His successor was St. Valerius, who died in 453; Rosarius was present at Rome in 499. The Sorrentines venerate other bishops of the see:
In the tenth century it became a metropolitan see, the first archbishop being Leo Parus. Among its bishops were Francesco Remolino (1501), who was made a prisoner by the Turks and ransomed with the treasures of the church (in part his own donations), and Filippo Strozzi (1525), said to have been three times rescued from prison in the sack of Rome in 1527.
In 1558 the Turks under Piyale Pasha effected a landing at Salerno, and plundered and burned the city, on which occasion the archives perished. The new bishop, Giulio Pavesi, sought to repair the damages. Diego Pietra (1680) founded the seminary, afterwards enlarged by Filippo Anastasi (1699); the latter defended the immunities of the Church and was forcibly exiled to Terracina. In 1861 Francesco Apuzzo was, by order of the new Government, exiled to France.
In 1818 the diocese of Massa Lubrense, diocese of Vico Equense, a suffragan of the archdiocese of Amalfi, and the diocese of Capri were united with Sorrento.[3]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.