Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, who was only 25 years old when he wrote it. It premiered in 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run. Set in ancient times on the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), the opera tells the story of how two men's vow of eternal friendship is threatened by their love for the same woman, whose own dilemma is the conflict between secular love and her sacred oath as a priestess. Though largely panned by critics during its day, the success of Bizet's Carmen ten years later allowed this early work to be reappraised and today it is well-loved and performed by the best opera theatres in the world. The friendship duet "Au fond du temple saint," generally known as "The Pearl Fishers Duet," is one of the best-known in Western opera.