Louis XV of France, a man of prodigious sexual appetite, established a royal harem in the Parc aux Cerfs; the house was situated in the grounds of Versailles. The local garrison was charged with the task of preventing local young men penetrating the secrets of the harem. And a certain Mère Bompart served the king as procuress. The cost of maintaining this institution was high. Some of the major items apart from board and lodging on a luxurious scale – were indemnities paid to families, dowries for those who were married off, the maintenance of illegitimate children, presents to the élèves, and the particular expense of Mere Bompart. It has been estimated that in the thirty-four years of its existence the Parc aux Cerfs cost nearly 20 million dollars, or around $600,000 a year – a lot to pay for the sexual pleasures of one man.