Complex sentence: According to historical data, these monastery communities were historically recorded since the first decades of the 16th century, but the legends relate their founding to the period between the 12th and 15th centuries.
Split into simpler sentences: According to historical data, these monastic communities have been in the region since the first decades of the 16th century. Legends, however, place their founding to the period between the 12th and 15th centuries.