Arundel Cathedral adorned its floors once again this year with a stunning array of flowers to mark the celebration of Corpus Christi. Yvonne Kinasz visited the cathedral on the second day of the two-day display, which took place on Thursday, May 30, and captured the breathtaking spectacle along with the cathedral’s exquisite interiors.
Volunteers dedicated their time and effort to create a remarkable 90ft floral carpet that stretched up the central aisle of Arundel Cathedral in just a single day. Each year, a new design theme is chosen and meticulously drawn out on paper before thousands of flowers are carefully arranged to bring the vision to life.
Visitors were invited to walk upon the carpet, designed to be admired as a spectacle for two days. This tradition, now renowned worldwide, traces its roots back to 1877 when Henry Fitzalan-Howard, the 15th Duke of Norfolk, was inspired by a similar floral carpet he witnessed in the Italian village of Sutri, near Rome. As the founder of the Church of Our Lady and St. Philip Neri, which later became Arundel Cathedral, the Duke initiated the tradition that continues nearly 150 years later.