In the 14th century, during his campaign to the Armenian Highlands, the Turco-Mongol conqueror Tamerlane (Lenk Temur) reached Haghpat via mountain roads. He intended to massacre the inhabitants, devastate Haghpat village, and destroy the monastic complex. To this end, he reached Aghtants Pit, located at the foot of Mount Surb Luys (Holy Light), with his immense army.

In a last desperate hope to save the Christian holy relics preserved for centuries in the Haghpat Monastery, the monastic brotherhood turned to the power of the relic of the Holy Cross of Jesus Christ kept there. The monks, together with the inhabitants, changed their clothes, took the relic of the Cross, and moved towards the enemy in a solemn procession with prayers, intending to persuade the tyrant to pity them. Astonishingly, Tamerlane, upon seeing the relic of the Cross of Christ and the huge procession approaching him, was overcome (or subdued), turned his army back, and retreated.

A scribe named Mond, seeing the enemy’s departure, was driven by vengeance and took a few armed men, pursuing the enemy up to a place called Oghighlukh. Only here, seeing that his pursuers were a small group, Tamerlane attacked and slaughtered them.

Later, the bodies of the martyred Mond and his small group of comrades were placed under a large rock fragment, and from that day on, the place was called Mondakar (Mond’s Stone). The gorge from which Tamerlane and his army fled from the Christian faith and the monastic brotherhood is called the Victory Pit or Aghtants (Haghtants) Pit.