Baclayon, officially the Municipality of Baclayon ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Baclayon; tgl, Bayan ng Baclayon), is a 4th 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 ...

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 m ...

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 22,461 people. It is the home town of actor

Cesar Montano Cesar Manhilot (born August 1, 1962), known professionally as Cesar Montano (), is a Filipino actor, film producer and film director. Montano started in show business as a commercial model.

, and physicist

Caesar Saloma Caesar Aya-ay Saloma is a professor of the National Institute of Physics (NIP) at the University of the Philippines College of Science and a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology. He previously served as Chancellor of the Univer ...

. The town of Baclayon, Bohol celebrates its feast on December 10, to honor the town patron Immaculate Conception.

History

Baclayon was the first municipality to be established in Bohol by the Spaniards and included originally the areas now made up by the municipalities of Alburquerque, Balilihan, Corella, and Sikatuna. Its original name was Bacayan, from the root word ''bacay'', meaning "detour" in reference to the fact that travellers used to make a detour there around a rocky cliff. In 1595, two

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priests, Juan de Torres and Gabriel Sanchez, arrived in Bohol to convert the local populace to Catholicism. With native help, they built a stone church which is considered one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines, and marked the beginning of the town. In 1600,

Moros In Greek mythology, Moros /ˈmɔːrɒs/ or Morus /ˈmɔːrəs/ (Ancient Greek: Μόρος means 'doom, fate') is the 'hateful' personified spirit of impending doom, who drives mortals to their deadly fate. It was also said that Moros gave peop ...

raided the fledgling settlement, which prompted the Jesuits to relocate their ''residencia'' to

Loboc Loboc, officially the Municipality of Loboc ( ceb, Munisipalidad sa Loboc; tgl, Bayan ng Loboc), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 17,418 people. Located ea ...

. In 1717, Baclayon gained status of a parish. In 1742, Tagbilaran was separated from Baclayon, followed by Alburquerque in 1868, Balilihan in 1828, and Corella in 1884.

Geography

Baclayon is directly east of

Tagbilaran Tagbilaran, officially the City of Tagbilaran ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Tagbilaran), is a 3rd class component city and capital of the province of Bohol, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 104,976 people. Encompassing a la ...

, the provincial capital. The municipality also has jurisdiction over

Pamilacan Pamilacan is an island barangay in the Philippines, situated south of Bohol island and surrounded by the Bohol Sea (also called Mindanao Sea). It is one of the of 17 barangays that compose the municipality of Baclayon. According to the 2015 censu ...

Island.

Barangays

Baclayon comprises 17 barangays:

Climate

Demographics

Economy

Tourism

Baclayon is known for its historic

Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, declared a

National Cultural Treasure National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

in 1995 because it is considered the best preserved of its kind in the region. Its first structure was built in 1595, but the current building is from 1724 and is of Spanish Colonial architecture. The church includes a small museum, with relics dating back to the early 16th century, and adjoining high bell tower. Nearby are centuries-old stone buildings like the ''hermita'', and elementary school, as well as the historic public marketplace, a Spanish-era building with giant stone columns supporting the roof. In 2013, the church and bell tower were severely damaged by the

2013 Bohol earthquake The 2013 Bohol earthquake occurred on October 15 at in Bohol, an island province located in Central Visayas, Philippines. The magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at 7.2, with epicenter of Sagbayan, and its depth of focus was . It affe ...

. There are 67 or more Spanish colonial ancestral houses in the municipality, many of them along the main road. The houses, in various stages of preservation or neglect, show Spanish-Filipino wooden craftsmanship and styling, some of which were constructed as early as 1853. They are often utilized for cultural shows and tours, festivals and fiestas, as well as some having been turned into inns. The island of

is a tourist destination for dolphin- and whale-watching.