The monastery was founded by the Marshall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Aleksander Chodkiewicz, under a special tomos issued by the Patriarch of Constantinople, Jeremias II Tranos. The original wooden Church of St. John the Evangelist on the monastery grounds was built in 1501. During the ensuing years, a number of other churches were built at the monastery. The Church of the Annunciation, built between 1503 and 1511, was consecrated in 1516, followed by the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord. This church housed the monastery catacombs.