Description
Tatev Monastery was founded in the 9th century AD. The consecration of the church was attended by King Smbat I Bagratuni, Prince Gagik of Kars, Catholicoses Hovhannes and Simeon II, as well as notable and high-ranking representatives of the clergy. On the occasion of the consecration, the attendees gifted villages and estates from various regions of the state to the Tatev Monastery.
The monastery suffered significant destruction during the 1138 earthquake. The dome of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul (Surb Poghos-Petros) collapsed, and the Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator was also heavily damaged. In 1170, the Kingdom of Syunik became a victim of a devastating Seljuk Turkish invasion, during which the treasures of the Tatev Diocese were seized, and the monks were killed. The attackers looted the monastery and destroyed more than 10,000 manuscripts stored in the Tatev library. The monastery remained abandoned for nearly a century. It wasn't until 1261, through the efforts of Princes Smbat and Tarsaich Orbelian, that Tatev Monastery began to be restored and regained its former features. Life returned to the holy Armenian monastery.
The peak of the monastery complex came in the 13th-14th centuries. During this time, it gained supremacy over all the dioceses of Syunik and became the country's main monastery. This period marked the beginning of a scientific and cultural renaissance. Prominent theologians, philosophers, astronomers, musicians, and artists gathered at Tatev. It was also during this time that the monastic academy was founded. The seminary at Tatev became a pan-Armenian cultural center, laying the foundation for a new type of higher education.