Saint Alexander was born in Asia and educated in Constantinople. After a period of military service, he embraced the monastic life in the Syrian wilderness under Igumen Elias. Following four years of obedience, he received a blessing to live in the desert, where he spent seven years in prayer with only the Gospel as his companion. Called by God to preach to pagans, he converted Rabul, a city ruler who later became Bishop of Edessa, along with the entire population, who publicly renounced their idols. Saint Alexander then retreated further into the desert, where he converted a group of robbers, turning their cave into a monastery and appointing an abbot. His deep solitude soon attracted others, and a community of 400 monks formed around him.
Desiring continuous praise to God, Saint Alexander established the Monastery of the “Unsleeping Ones,” dividing the monks into 24 groups to chant Psalms around the clock. He led this community on the Euphrates for twelve years before setting off on missionary journeys through Persian border cities. Later, he settled in Antioch, where he built a church and shelter for the poor, but envy forced him to move to Constantinople. There, he founded another monastery with the same rule of unceasing prayer. He and his monks endured persecution under the Nestorians, suffering imprisonment and beatings. After the unrest subsided, Saint Alexander spent his final years in peace, reposing in Constantinople around 430, after 50 years of tireless ascetic and missionary labor. His memory is also honored on February 23.
Troparion — Tone 8
By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Alexander, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!