Alexander Vasilievich Vadkovsky was born on August 3, 1846, in the village of Tsarevka, Kirsanov district, Tambov province, in the family of priest Vasily Iovlevich Vadkovsky. His mother was named Olga Nikiforovna.

In 1848 and 1858, the family lived in the village of Matcherka, Morshansk district, where his father served as a priest. Once, their parish was visited by Bishop Theophan, who noticed Alexander and blessed him.

Alexander studied at the Tambov Theological School and Seminary, graduating in 1866. In 1870, he completed his studies at the Kazan Theological Academy, earning a degree of Candidate of Theology for his work on the relationship between Arianism and Neoplatonism. He specialized in the department of homiletics and the theory of rhetoric, where Professor I. Ya. Porfirev taught. On April 14, 1871, Alexander received a Master's degree in Theology for his dissertation on ancient Bulgarian church preaching and was retained at the academy as an associate professor. Since 1875, he participated in the commission for describing manuscripts and old printed books of the Solovetsky Monastery library. He regularly published articles in the 'Orthodox Messenger' and became its editor in 1874.

In 1872, Alexander married Elizaveta Penkovskaya, who suffered from tuberculosis. They had two children, Boris and Lydia, but in 1879 he became a widower, and in 1882, the children died of diphtheria.

On March 4, 1883, Archbishop Palladius Raev tonsured him as a monk with the name Anthony. On March 6, he was ordained as a hieromonk, and on November 14, he became an archimandrite and head of the Kazan John the Baptist Monastery. In 1884, he was appointed inspector of the Kazan Theological Academy.

In 1885, with the support of K. P. Pobedonostsev, he was transferred to the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. On April 15, 1887, Archimandrite Anthony became the rector of the academy, and on May 3, 1887, he was consecrated as Bishop of Vyborg. During his rectorship, students actively participated in educational activities among the working outskirts of the capital. He combined church-administrative work with scientific activity, published articles, and in 1892 published a book 'From the History of Christian Preaching.' On October 24, 1892, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop and appointed to the Vyborg-Finland diocese. On May 4, 1893, the Kazan Theological Academy awarded him a Doctor of Theology degree, and in 1895, he was confirmed in this degree by the Holy Synod.

In 1893 and 1898, he headed the Synodal Commission on the Old Catholic issue. Archbishop Anthony became the first Russian hierarch to visit England, where he represented the Holy Synod at the jubilee of Queen Victoria, successfully fulfilling the mission to strengthen ties with the Anglican Church.

Under his administration, new churches were built, the number of parishes increased, the Lintula Women's Monastery was founded, and the missionary Brotherhood of Sergius and Herman of Valaam became more active. Since 1898, a magazine in Finnish was published, and work began on the translation of liturgical books.

On December 25, 1898, he was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, becoming a member of the Holy Synod. On June 9, 1900, after the death of the Metropolitan of Kiev, he became the senior member of the Synod.

On January 16, 1906, by the decree of Nicholas II, he headed the Pre-Council Presence, which completed its work on December 15 of the same year. On April 22, 1906, he was elected a member of the State Council, but on June 27, he was released at his own request.

Since May 1910, due to illness, he did not perform services. Alexander Vasilievich Vadkovsky passed away on November 2, 1912. His body was transferred to the Cross Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and then to the Trinity Cathedral. At the funeral on November 5, 21 archbishops and officials were present, but the imperial family was absent. He was buried at the Nikolskoye Cemetery of the Lavra.