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On Friday 30 January, Peterborough Cathedral held a commemoration and wreath laying service in tribute to Queen Katharine honouring the life and legacy of the Queen at her final resting place. The service formed part of the annual Katharine of Aragon Festival, the first wife of Henry VIII, who was laid to rest in the Cathedral on 29 January 1536.
The service, conducted by The Dean of Peterborough, The Very Reverend Christopher Dalliston, was attended by the Spanish Ambassador to the UK Emma Aparici Vazquez de Parga, Bishop Debbie and the Bishop of the Modern Roman Catholic Diocese of East Anglia Peter Collins. The Deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, the Lord Lieutenants of Cambridgeshire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, the High Sheriffs of Cambridgeshire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, the Mayor of Peterborough and the Council Leader were also in attendance.
The commemoration followed a week of festivities in the cathedral which included a grand Tudor banquet, history lectures, embroidery workshop and costumed tours for families.
During the service a a greeting was given by the Spanish Ambassador, and students from local schools read a biography of Katharine alongside prayers, hymns, and readings from Katharine’s own letters and diaries. The service concluded with a laying of wreaths and pomegranates at Katharine’s tomb. The pomegranate was the personal emblem of Queen Katherine, symbolizing her Spanish heritage, fertility and high status.
Speaking at the service, the Spanish Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Emma Aparici Vazquez de Parga, said: “Our relationship has stood the proof of time and stands as a real anchor in our two countries in these challenging times.
“Katharine was loved both in Spain and her adopted country. She suffered with great dignity. Even one of her greatest enemies, Thomas Cromwell, said of her that ‘if not for her sex, she would have defied all of the rulers of history.”
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