International Meeting of CHAPAS Club in association with the exhibition “A Pátria, Sociedade Alentejana de Seguros – Today would be 100 years”.

CHAPAS Club held its annual event for the fourth consecutive year, this time in Évora, with the purpose of celebrating the centenary of the foundation of “A Pátria, Sociedade Alentejana de Seguros”, whose deed of incorporation was drawn up on 27th November 1915.

A bit of history:

“On 24th August 1915, Horácio Alves de Azevedo arrived in Évora to try to set up an agricultural insurance company.

That same day, in a meeting room of the Industrial Association of Évora, was read the project that began “A group of Alentejanos, united in the same feeling of social progress, decided to launch the bases of formation of an insurance company”, with head office in Évora, in Praça do Giraldo 24 and 25 and later, the most relevant and emblematic address: the Barahona Palace”.

The event was held in the noble hall of Évora City Council, in the presence of many guests and friends, most of them old employees of the insurance company, now retired, as well as the Spanish collectors, Manuel Ruiz, Xavier Vallve and their wives.

The presentations were performed by Vítor Alegria, representing CHAPAS Club; Eduardo Luciano, Councillor for Culture of CME; Paulo Guimarães, professor at the University of Évora and Pedro Seixas Vale of the Portuguese Insurers Association.

As guest of honour and orator, comendador Rui Nabeiro, for having been appointed mediator by “A Pátria” in 1971.

On the same day, the CHAPAS Club also inaugurated, in the small cloisters of the Colégio Espírito Santo – University of Évora – the exhibition “A Pátria, Sociedade Alentejana de Seguros – Today would be 100 years”, which consisted of a set of rollup’s containing information, documents and photos from 1915 to 1979, which was accessible to the public until 11th December 2015.

The following day, there was a guided tour of the main points of cultural interest in the city of Évora, not forgetting the poster dedicated to the event displayed in the insurer’s first offices, in the middle of Praça do Giraldo.

The CHAPAS Club thus intended to make history and stories known in an unpretentious way:

1. Of the insurance company born in the Portuguese countryside, one year after the outbreak of the First World War
2. Of the men and women who stood out in the establishment and growth of this Sociedade Alentejana de Seguros
3. The socio-economic impact of this insurance company at a national level

It was achieved with this action:

1. The people of Éborenses and former collaborators of “A Pátria” revisit their history
2. Get to know “A Pátria, Sociedade Alentejana de Seguros” as one of the genealogical branches of the current Fidelidade Companhia de Seguros, SA
3. Give recognition to the action of the Chapas Club in their mission to receive, protect and share the memory of the insurance activity.