[1] In 1975, he took monastic vows with the name Alexander and was ordained a hierodeacon by Bishop Anthony (Zavgorodniy) of Stavropol and Baku.

In 1995, he was appointed rector of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Mother of God [ru] in Baku and dean of the Orthodox churches of Azerbaijan.

The consecration was performed by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II, Metropolitan of Krutitsky and Kolomna Juvenal (Poyarkov), Metropolitan of Volokolamsk and Yuryevsky Pitirim (Nechaev), Archbishop of Solnechnogorsk Sergius (Fomin), Archbishop of Orenburg) Valentine Bronnitsky Tikhon (Emelyanov), Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsky Alexy (Frolov), Bishop of Krasnogorsk Sabbas (Volkov).

[2] During his tenure destroyed churches were restored and new ones were built in Baku, Makhachkala, Kizlyar, Kaspiysk, Izberbash, Buinaksk and Derbent.

On March 22, 2011, by the decision of the Holy Synod, due to the fact that Dagestan was transferred to the revived Vladikavkaz diocese, the title was changed to "Baku and Azerbaijan".