VAT XIENG THONG

Its name means "Monastery of the Golden City" or "Monastery of the Flaming City". It was built in 1560 by King Sai Sethathirath, a patron of the arts, to commemorate the memory of Thao Chanthaphanith, a merchant from Vientiane who was (according to legend) elected King of Luang Prabang before Fa Ngum. Until 1975 it remained under the guardianship of the royal family. It is an absolutely sumptuous place from an artistic and architectural point of view. The roof perfectly illustrates the local style with its complex structure of superimposed planes, its golden façade with a red background, its square and black pillars decorated with golden stencils, and its roof almost reaching the ground. The legend of Thao Chanthaphanith is illustrated inside the vihan.

Outside, the bas-reliefs on black or red background, illustrate on the right the legend of Thao Sisouthone and on the left that of Thao Souttasom. At the back, the superb Bodhi tree - tree of enlightenment or tree of life - climbs up the façade. The remarkable tradition of colored glass mosaics is very old. At the top of the roof, the dok so fa represents the bouquet of flowers of heaven. The chapel of the funeral chariot of King Sisavang Vong is of Xieng Khouang style. The imposing golden wooden chariot, which is 12 meters high, was used to transport the remains of King Sisavang Vong to That Luang for his cremation in April 1961. As for the Standing Buddha Chapel, it houses a gilded bronze statue, a gift from the King of Thailand to King Sisavang Vong. The Red Chapel in the shape of a parallelepiped (two-story composite roof, red pediment with gold decorations in bas-relief) houses a bronze statue of Buddha lying down in expectation of Nirvana; a statue cast in 1569, on the order of King Say Sethathirath. It is one of the most venerated in the country. The magnificent mosaics on the walls of the chapel depict scenes of life in a traditional village of the time. One can admire houses, trees, horses, elephants, fishing and hunting scenes, as well as religious scenes. Vat Xieng Thong is a high place of worship, very important during the celebration of the Lao New Year (Pi May, mid-April). On the second day, the meu nao, the superiors of the vat of Luang Prabang, arrive carried by faithful on the occasion of a great procession, in order to proceed to the ritual watering of the images of the Buddha and to attend the sacred dance of Phou Nieu Nia Nieu, the mythological ancestors of the Laotians.