During the invasion of Georgia in 1616, Shah Abbas entered Tbilisi and then ventured into the Karai steppes, located east of Tbilisi on the left bank of the Kura River. At that time, it was Easter night, and the monks were conducting a procession. Abbas spotted the lights of the procession and decided to annihilate the monastery, arriving there with his army. The abbot, Arsenius, requested permission to complete the liturgy, after which the monks approached the Persians, officially renounced the Shah and Islam, and were subsequently executed. The number of those who perished varies between 600 and 6,000. The bones of the slain were collected during the reign of King Archil in the 1660s and were laid to rest in the Monastery of Motsameti, situated on the ridge above the Lavra. All the martyrs have been canonized, and their day is commemorated on the Tuesday of Easter week.
Easter in 1616 fell on April 10. Shah Abbas began his march toward Tbilisi from Ganja around March 20. This indicates that he was indeed in Tbilisi in early April and could have carried out the events described above. The coincidence of dates serves as a compelling argument for the reality of what transpired. However, a counterargument exists: even in 1616, Abbas did not typically destroy Christians solely for their faith. Yet, in this case, other circumstances may have influenced his actions.
The Georgian Church remained unaware of this tragic history until the 19th century. It was first recorded by Mikhail Sabinin in June 1868, based on the accounts of Hieromonk Gerasim and other monks from the monastery, who had learned about it through oral tradition.
There were also other holy martyrs from Gareji. By 1851, monks resided only in the Lavra and the Monastery of John the Baptist. That year, Dagestani raiders invaded the monastery, looted it, and killed five individuals: Serapion, Herman, Vissarion, Michael, Otar, and Simon. They were later canonized, and their feast day is celebrated on August 12.