The Italian Catholic archdiocese of Salerno-Campagna-Acerno, in Campagna, has existed since 1986. The historic archdiocese of Salerno was in existence from the tenth century, having been elevated from a sixth century diocese. The diocese of Acerno was combined with the archdiocese in 1818.1
Gaudentius was bishop in 499. Other bishops were: Asterius, who went to Constantinople with Pope Agapitus in 534; St Gaudiosus (eighth century); Petrus (834), formerly Bishop of Canusio, who took refuge at Salerno when the Saracens destroyed his capital, and built the Church of San Giovanni Battista; Bernardus (850), who restored several buildings.
In the eighth century the city of Salerno was in the power of the Lombard dukes of Benevento. In 984 Salerno became an archiepiscopal see, the first archbishop being Amato. Other archbishops were:
Giovanni Vera (1500), later a cardinal, who was sent on several pontifical legations to France and to England;
Girolamo Seripando (1554), theologian and former general of the Augustinians, whose doctrines on justification, akin to those of Luther, were rejected at the Council of Trent, and who afterwards became a cardinal;
Antonio Salomone, who, after the annexation of the kingdom of Naples, was imprisoned without reason (1886), and at the beginning of the war with Austria was sent into exile.