Several archives in Malta hold records that are in some way or other linked to religion.  What we often find in archives is the documentation resulting out of rituals and that is why the two concepts were linked together in the interpretation give in this publication.  The various rites of passage are recorded in church archives much earlier than in state archives.  The music used, statues, sacred icons, artistic artefacts and other ephemera used in religious services is scrupulously documented, mainly in religious archives.  The way a number of religious orders developed certain cults is evident.  The artefacts used in ceremonies and commemorations are often the result of a long and very structured process of authorisation.  The process starts with the rikors (petition) and ending in the accounts for the payments incurred.  At times, the disturbing of the status quo results in controversies, sanctions and at times interdiction.   The more of these, the more documentation abounds.  At times, national commemorations, although handled mainly by state authorities are inspired or in some way linked to religious belief or tradition.  The section also sheds light on the elaborate and largely documentary process that is behind each and every beatification process.