Compostela, officially the Municipality of Compostela ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Compostela; tgl, Bayan ng Compostela), is a 3rd class
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...
,
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,874 people.
Compostela is within the
Metro Cebu
Metropolitan Cebu, or simply Metro Cebu, ( ceb, Kaulohang Sugbo; fil, Kalakhang Cebu), is the main urban center of the province of Cebu in the Philippines. Metro Cebu is located along the central eastern portion of the island including the ne ...
area.
History
In the year 1844, Spanish authorities established local government units on the northern part of Cebu starting from what is now known as the town of Compostela as far north as what is now called the town of Borbon. Compostela was among the early barrios of the
Danao. The newly established barrio was named Compostela on the suggestion of a Roman Catholic friar who came from the town of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and brought along with him the image of that town's patron saint,
St. James the Great.
Adopting the said saint as the local patron, a parish chapel was built from light materials. As the population grew, the Spanish church authorities decided to elevate the chapel into a church so that in the year 1866 the catholic church was constructed on the same site. Up to present time, the same structure continues to be the major place of worship in Compostela.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Americans gained control over the Philippines when they defeated the Spaniards in the Battle of Manila Bay. As a consequence, the Treaty of Paris caused the reorganization and reclassification of all local government units in the country according to their population and income. The reorganization which took place in 1903 resulted in the secession of Compostela to
Liloan. In 1919, Compostela became a municipality.
Geography
Compostela is bordered on the north by the city of
Danao, to the west by
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas Regions of the P ...
, on the east by the
Camotes Sea
The Camotes Sea is a small sea within the Philippine archipelago, situated between the Central Visayan and the Eastern Visayan regions. It separates Cebu from Leyte hence is bordered by Cebu to the west, Leyte to the east and north, and Bohol ...
, and on the south by the town of
Liloan. It is from Cebu City.
Barangays
Compostela comprises 17 barangays:
Climate
Demographics
Economy
References
*
External links
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Cebu
Municipalities in Metro Cebu