The article reveals the multifaceted charitable activity of the Astrakhan Diocese in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, including both personal donations of church hierarchs, members of the board of trustees councils and parish public towards the poor, opening at the churches of the hospice and hospitals , establishment and maintenance of institutions of spiritual and spiritual-school education, the formation of a special scholarship fund for orphans. In this experience, the author sees not only the tradition, but also a moral example of social service of the Church, which can be claimed in the current conditions of the development of Russian society.
