Wat Xieng Thong, built in 1560, is the most magnificent temple of Luang Prabang. It was not destroyed by the "Black Flag Haw" which sacked the city in 1887 because their leader had studied here as a monk. The mosaic "Tree of Life" is one of the Wat's most remarkable features. It may refer to the Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment and may also refer to an older symbolic tree of knowledge and perfection.