According to the testimony of Stepanos Orbelian, the monastery was founded in 936 by the Throne Prince Smbat and (local) bishop. According to the historian, it was located above the village of Yeghegis, at the river, at the foot of the rocky mountains, on a plateau called Karevan.
Hermits who had previously lived in the caves of Karevan were gathered and settled in this new monastery, and named the monastery Achermon in honor of the oldest of them, but later it became a habit to call it Hermon Monastery.
The first church built in the monastery was domed and was named after Grigor Lusavorich (Gregory the Illuminator, the founder of Christianity in ancient Armenia.).
The wife of the Prince Smbat, Mrs. Sofia, bought and presented the monastery the village of Ava located opposite, gardens and flower beds in the village of Yeghegis.
The period of cultural flourishing of Hermon Monastery, however, dates back to the XIV-XV centuries. In 1338, after the failure of the famous Gladzor University, Tiratur Vardapet (archimandrite), a student and assistant of Yesayi Nachetci, settled here and laid the foundation for a new school which actually becomes the successor of the Gladzor cultural Cause in Vayots Dzor. And after the death of Tyratur (ab.1372), the School continued its activities – until the end of the XV century. It has trained outstanding intellectuals, scribes, and artists. 26 handwritten books written in the Hermon Monastery are known.
Source of the material – Sedrak Barkhudaryan
The Code of Armenian Writing on Stone, issue III
