Biblical Mount Ararat provides the backdrop for the Khor Virap monastery. The 5th century monastery is located on the site of a former prison where St. Gregory (301-325) was supposedly encased in a scoprion-filled pit by the Armenian King Trdat. The plains around Khor Virap have served frequently as a battlefield. In 930, two Armenian kings joined forces to defeat an invading Arab army. In 1047, a Byzantine army fought another Arab army. A chronicler mentioned the monastery and shortly after it became a major seat of learning in the region. The church on the site has been built and rebuilt a number of times with the current facilities dating from the 17th century.