The first church of the monastery was built in IV century. Poghos-Petros cathedral was built in 895-906, during the reign of Bishop Hovhannes. In 1087 St. Astvatsatsin (Holy Virgin) church was dedicated. The complex had a large library of 10,000 manuscripts which were burnt by Seljuks during the Seljuk invasion in 1170. A bell tower on the temple gavit was added by Hovhan Vorotnetsi in XIV.
The Grigor Tatevatsi Mausoleum was added to the complex in the XVIII century.
The monastery was badly damaged in 1931 by earthquake and was restored in the 1990s.