Vat Xieng Tong

The Old Town of Luang Prabang is built along a peninsula between the Nam Khan and the Mekong River. Vat Xieng Tong, the Golden City Monastery, sits at the far end of the peninsula, near the point where the two rivers converge. The temple, dating back to 1559, is one of Luang Prabang's oldest and grandest, and was once the home to the Sangaraja, the Supreme Patriarch of Laos.

Buddha

I'm unsure if Laos still has a Sangharaja. Other Theravada Buddhist countries like Thailand and Cambodia do, but the position is deeply tied to the monarchy, and I can't seem to find any references of a Supreme Patriarch post-1975. If any of my blog readers know, I would be so happy to learn more! In any case, the monastery once served as the home to the Supreme Patriarch of Laos, and today is still considered to be a monument to royalty and religion, and a museum of sorts preserving royal relics, art, and artifacts.

Vat Xieng Tong

The monastery was not razed, like many others in the city, by an army of 19th century Chinese marauders called the "Black Flag Army", as one of its leaders had ordained as a monk at Vat Xieng Tong when he was younger. The temple was spared destruction, and is one of the oldest temples in the city in its original state.

The monastery is made up of many different buildings and shrines. Among these is le Chapelle Rouge, the Red Chapel, a small prayer shrine covered in beautiful and intricate glass mosaics, similar to those lining the walls of the Throne Hall at the Royal Palace, which I was unable to photograph.

the colorful temple buildings

Inside the chapel, on a small red pillow, crushed with age, sat a serene-looking metal Buddha statue. Similar to the one that we had seen earlier in Vientiane, this statue supposedly has the power to answer your questions. Ask a question, and if you can lift it from its pillow, the answer is "yes".

can you lift the statue?

Even though the statue is very small it was impossible for me to lift. I couldn't even lift it up off of its pillow, only rock it back and forth a bit!

Mjölnir

The Reclining Buddha inside the Red Chapel is considered to be one of the finest examples of Laotian religious bronzework.

colorful shrine

Another remarkable building is the Funeral Chapel, which holds the royal funerary carriage and barge. This is one of the newer buildings at the complex, constructed sometime in the 1950s.

royal barge hall

The funeral barge is similar to those royal barges that I've seen in Thailand, but again the Laotian preference for naga motifs is obvious! The gilded mythical seven-headed serpent decorates the prow of the boat. Atop the barge sit several huge urns, used for royal funerals.

naga serpent funeral barge

The walls of this chapel as well are covered in intricate glass mosaic, some of the most beautiful and colorful I've seen! Like other garages around the world, it also seems to be used for storage. Numerous old (some broken) Buddha statues and royal paraphernalia were propped up against the walls inside the dimly-lit hall.

Buddha statues in front of mosaic murals

After visiting the half-dozen or so smaller shrines, we approached the main temple building, with its sparkling gold exterior and iconic low sweeping roofs.

many temple  buildings

One wall of the temple hall is decorated in yet another mosaic, possibly the most famous in the entire city. This mosaic depicts the legendary "Flame Tree", a mythical burning tree that was said to have stood on this very spot a thousand years ago when Luang Prabang was first founded.

mosaics on the back of the temple

The temple interior was dim and very quiet. A few local people were sitting around in the shade or praying, and a monk was sitting in meditation. The temple is quiet now, but I've heard that during the Laotian Festival of Lights (Loi Krathong, I think), it's the center of celebrations in the city. That sure  would be a sight to see!

the front of the main wat building