The monastery was founded in 895-906 by the overlord of Syunik Ashot and his wife Shushan, as well as by the prince of Gegharkunik Grigor Supan II and the prince of Balka Dzagik. In the 10th century, about a thousand people lived in the monastery. In the 13th century, the monastery collected taxes from 680 surrounding villages.
The monastery was one of the most important centers of science and education in medieval Armenia. In 1373, Hovhannes Vorotnetsi founded the Tatev University in the monastery, which for half a century remained the only functioning university in Eastern Armenia. The Tatev school of miniature developed at the university.