Mkhitar Sebastatsi was born in 1676 in Sebastia.His real name was Manuk ,but when he became a clergyman,he got a new name Mkhitar.He was an Armenian Catholic monk,as well as prominent scholar.The Armenian historian Stepanos Nazarian described him as the «second Mesrop Mashtots». His parents gave him a good education to prepare him to assume the family business. Instead, from an early age, he wanted to become a monk. Refused permission for this, he found a young companion to flee to the mountains where they might live as hermits. Quickly found by his parents he was returned home. Still refused permission to enter the monastery by his parents, he began to frequent a neighboring family which consisted of a mother and her two daughters who lived a monastic form of life in their home, which they shared with an elderly priest.in 1691 Manuk fianally received permission from his parents to work in the monastery.This time he changed his name to Mkhitar.After his admittance to monastic life, Mkhitar began to see that the state of monastic life was extremely low after the devastating destruction of the Armenian monasteries in previous centuries. He began to seek out a source of true learning of the spiritual life, being taken to various monasteries by several traveling religious scholars who promised to teach him what he sought if he would serve them. During this period, he came into contact with members of the Roman Catholic religious orders ,who were active in Armenia. Learning about Catholicism, he came to feel that Rome would be the best place to do the theological studies he had long sought. He determined to set out for there, but received many setbacks of both health and the rejection of those Armenian monks and bishops along the way who rejected Western doctrines. Finally he was forced to return to his home town, walking barefoot, though he was suffering from jaundice. Slowly regaining his health there, in 1696 he was ordained a priest by the Abbot of Holy Cross Monastery.Two years later, escaping persecution by the Ottoman authorities, the order moved to Peloponnese.In 1715,the Congregation was moved to St Lazarus Island . Mkhitar built up the monastery on the island .
Mkhitar died at the monastery on 27 April 1749 and is buried in the monastery church.