Queen Khosrovanuysh, wife of the Bagratid king Ashot III, probably founded the monastery in 976. The article names no architect. The cathedral of Surb Nshan was begun between 967 and 976 and completed in 991 under King Smbat II, and the article does not reconcile the dates. The complex was built between the 10th and 13th centuries, and the Church of Sourb Grigor dates from 1005.
The article calls the style Armenian ecclesiastical architecture, blending Byzantine elements with Caucasian vernacular forms. Surb Nshan has a central dome on four large pillars and triangular recesses on the outer walls, with a fresco of Christ Pantocrator in the apse. A free-standing three-story bell tower was added in 1245. Chapels, a library and scriptorium, and a refectory followed in the 13th century.
The monastery overlooks the Debed River in the Lori region. UNESCO inscribed it with Sanahin in 1996.
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