The article deals with the views on charity and philanthropy of such major religious denominations as Christians (Catholics, Orthodox, including old believers, Protestants), Muslims and Jews. Their common features and differences are under consideration.

Based on the source and historiographic analysis, the article deals with the date of the founding of the village of Prishyb (Leninsk town of the Volgograd region). The events associated with its settlement and the original centre of the historical settlement are under consideration in the article.

The article deals with the notion “religious landscape” in the domestic science. The authors suggest new theoretical and methodological approaches to research based on the wave theory of substance structure and the institutional approach. It is stated that this complex geo-cultural and historical phenomenon is only beginning to be researched.

The article deals with the correlation of historical facts of the foundation period of the Russian centralized state with the culture of its time and establishment of the Russian national thinking.

There are represented the discussions in the church and secular environment concerning the issue of charity work of Orthodox cloisters and intensification of the influence of the Orthodox Church on social life at the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX centuries.

There are considered the reasons for the winds of revolution in the environment of students of theological schools in the beginning of the XX century, the main forms of their protest, given the appraisal of their manifestations.

There are revealed and considered the stages of formation and development of monument protection work of power structures and public organizations regarding the objects of cult architecture at the territory of the modern Volgograd region in the XIX - beginning of the XXI centuries. There is represented the historiographic comprehension of these issues in pre-revolutionary and modern scientific research.

Based on the scientific comparison of the notions “medieval town”, “town of Don Cossacks” and “fortress”, there are marked out their distinctive features and peculiarities as the types of historic settlements of the XVI-XVII centuries at the outskirts of the Moscow state.

There is carried out the complex research of the history of formation and evolution of the ideology and organizational bases of the Orthodox All-Russian brotherly union of the Russian people.

There are analyzed the main directions of Nizhniy Povolzhye region history study, which is investigated by the teachers of Russian history department of Volgograd State Social and Pedagogical University in 2005-2011. There is noted the contribution to development of historical region study, characterized the developed scientific projects.