Armenia and Armenians have been in contact with Israel since the earliest times, especially during the reign of Tigran the Great, when the area came under the sovereignty of the Armenian king for a short time. A significant flow of Armenians to the area began in the early centuries of Christianity, and by the 4th century, Armenians had established churches and monasteries in Jerusalem. The Armenian secular community was formed later in the 7th century by Armenian merchants and craftsmen. During the reign of the Cilician Armenian kings, the Armenian community became stronger in Jerusalem, with the number of Armenian increasing in 1894-1896 after the Hamidian massacres, and again in 1915 as a result of the Armenian Genocide.