Once upon a time, on the mountain where the Gandzasar monastery stands, there were silver mines, since “ganz” in translation from Armenian means “treasure”, and sar means “mountain”. The monastery was supposedly founded in the 10th century, and the temple that now exists here was built by Prince Hasan-Jalal Dola. Later, the monastery acquired several cells, a library, a refectory and a theological seminary. Monastic life in the monastery continues today, and Gandzasar itself has long become famous thanks to the three-star Gandzasar cognac produced here.