Wat Sisaket was built in 1818 by King Chao Anou, last monarch of the Kingdom of Vientiane. It was the only temple not destroyed by the Siamese in 1828, possibly because it was architecturally similar to Thai style wats. Unlike Phra Keo, it was a ‘living’ temple with many young monks and novices. It had much more of a rustic atmosphere in the early seventies than it has now.