He was born in Liubech (present-day Ukraine) in Chernigov Principality and was baptized with the name "Antipas".

He was drawn to the spiritual life from an early age and left for the Greek Orthodox Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos to live as a hermit.

In circa 1011, the abbot gave Anthony the job of expanding monasticism in his native Kiev (present-day Kyiv, Ukraine), which had only recently begun its conversion to Christianity.

When the conflict ended, the abbot sent Anthony back to Kiev, prophesying that many monks would join him on his return.

His fame soon spread beyond Kiev, and several people began to ask for his spiritual guidance or blessing.

When Iziaslav I of Kiev demanded that the son of a wealthy boyar and one of his own retainers be told to leave the monastery, Nikon said he could not take soldiers away from the King of Heaven.

In time, Barlaam, was called by Iziaslav to head a new monastery, St. Demetrios, which had been built at the gates of the city.

[3] As the number of monks grew and crowding became a problem, Anthony requested that Iziaslav give them the hill in which the caves were located.

When Iziaslav and his brothers were facing a popular uprising involving the Cumans, they came to Anthony for his blessing.

On his return, Anthony and Theodosius decided to build a larger stone church to accommodate the ever-increasing number of monks.