Martyr Alexander was born in 1877 in the city of Mitava, Courland province, in the family of senator Anton Ludwigovich Medem. He graduated from the law faculty of St. Petersburg University, but legal service did not attract him. From his youth, he was attached to the land and participated in agricultural work. In 1901, he married Maria Fedorovna Chertkova, and they had four children. Until 1918, he managed the estate, but after the confiscation of land, he began to rent a small plot. During the Civil War, he and his two brothers did not participate in military actions. In 1918, Alexander was arrested and sentenced to execution, but was released home. He was arrested again in 1919 and imprisoned, where he found comfort in prayer. In 1923, he was arrested by the OGPU but was released. The arrests and deprivations strengthened his faith. In 1925, his wife wrote that he had grown extraordinarily morally and found true freedom. In 1928, he was arrested and settled in the city of Syzran. In 1930, he was arrested again, suffered from tuberculosis, and was transferred to a hospital. Alexander Antonovich passed away on April 1, 1931, in a prison hospital. He was commemorated posthumously in the cathedral of the city of Syzran. In 1937, his contemporaries were shot, among whom were Archbishop Augustine and Priest John.
