The oldest written document pertainingn Zavala dates from 1514.godine.

The monastery was built by members of the ducal Hrabrena-Miloradović, who built many endowments in Herzegovina in the 16th century. The single-nave church vaulated.

The frescoes in the Zavala Monastery church date from 1619 and are an outstanding groupe of frescoes in Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were painted by  author is Georgije Mitrofanović, a monk from Hilandar, who was the most talented and highly educated Serbian artist of the 17th century. The new konaks were erected in  1876. In 1886 the monastery  school was opened.