Socio-cultural dynamics of religion on the example of the development of an icon

The paper considers the question of the relationship between the historical development of an icon and the dynamics of religion as a cultural and social institution. The author studies the development of icons in various: Antiquity, the period of iconoclasm, the Middle Ages and Modern era. The article shows that religious art objectively reflects the state of contemporary culture on the example of the Eastern and Western Churches. At the same time, the specific artistic style of an icon depends little on its dogmatic content.