Religious intangible cultural heritage as a socio-cultural phenomenon and object of state protection

The article defines the term "intangible cultural heritage" from the legal point of view, discusses the stages of its consolidation in the international and Russian cultural policy. The author characterizes such phenomenon of socio-cultural space as "religious intangible cultural heritage" and offers a number of recommendations, which are aimed at improving the efficiency of the system of intangible cultural heritage protection in the Russian Federation.