The Diocese of Cava (de’ Tirreni) was a Roman Catholic diocesis located in the Italian region Campania. It existed from 1394 to 1986, and was informally known as Cava and Sarno (Cava e Sarno) from 27 June 1818 to 25 September 1972 while in union (aeque principaliter) with the neighboring Diocese of Sarno.
The Diocese of Cava was established on 7 August 1394 (centered on the monastery of La Trinità della Cava), on territory split off from the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Salerno. To ease the transition, the Abbot of Cava, Liguori Majorini, was named Archbishop of Salerno, and in the vacancy the first bishop, Francesco d'Aiello, was appointed. The abbey church became the Cathedral of the diocese, and monks of the abbey formed the Cathedral Chapter, whose head was the Prior.
In 1513 the diocese lost territory to establish the Territorial Abbacy of Santissima Trinità di Cava de’ Tirreni.
On 27 June 1818 the diocese of Diocese of Nocera de’ Pagani (Nuceria Paganorum) was permanently suppressed and its territory was assigned to the diocese of Cava de'Tirreni. At the same time Pope Pius VII reduced the cathedral of Sarno to the rank of co-cathedral, and united the diocese of Sarno with that of Cava, the result to be known as Diocese of Cava and Sarno.
On 7 December 1833, in the Bull In vinea Domini, Pope Gregory XVI restored the diocese of Nocera de’ Pagani, and assigned it the territory which it had lost fifteen years earlier to the diocese of Cava. On 21 September 1850 the diocese of Cava lost territory to establish the Diocese of Diano–Teggiano.
In 1972 its personal union with Sarno was ended.
In 1986 the diocese of Cava was suppressed and its territories divided. Cava de Tirreni merged with the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Amalfi as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Amalfi-Cava de' Tirreni, while the territory of the former diocese of Sarno merged with the restored diocese of Nuceria Pagani to form the diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno.
(all Roman rite)
Bishops of Cava (and Sarno)
Silvestro Granito, 1818-1832
Tommaso Bellacosa, 1834-1843
Salvatore Fertitta, 1844–1873
Giuseppe Carrano (1874–1890
Giuseppe Izzo, 1890–1914
Luigi Lavitrano, 1914–1924
Pasquale Dell'Isola, 1928–1938
Francesco Marchesani, 1939
Gennaro Fenizia, 1948–1952
Alfredo Vozzi, 1953–1972
Jolando Nuzzi, 1972–1986
Ferdinando Palatucci, 1982–1986
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