Beynac-et-Cazenac (; oc, Bainac e Casenac) is a village located in the
Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...
department in southwestern France.
The medieval Château de Beynac is located in the commune.
The village is classified as one of ''
Les plus beaux villages de France
''Les Plus Beaux Villages de France'' (meaning “the most beautiful villages of France”) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of Septem ...
'' (most beautiful villages of France).
Geography
The commune lies on the banks of the river
Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is name ...
Historically the first mention of Beynac dates to 1115 when Maynard de Beynac made a gift to the sisters at Fontevrault Abbey.
Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...
seized the château at the end of the 12th century, but the people of Beynac recovered their château thanks to the intervention of Philippe Auguste in 1217. The château stayed in possession of the family de Beynac until 1753 when the de Beynac family became extinct in male line with Pierre last marquis of Beynac who married in 1727 Anne-Marie Boucher and had two daughters : Julie de Beynac married to the marquis de Castelnau and Claude-Marie de Beynac married in 1761 to Christophe Marie de Beaumont du Repaire. The family de Beaumont du Repaire added "Beynac" to its name and took the courtesy title of "marquis de Beaumont-Beynac" One of the descendants sold the château in 1961.
In 1827, the communes of Beynac and Cazenac were merged under the current name.
Population
Image:Beynac.JPG, Beynac
Ruelle à Beynac (24).jpg, A little street that connects the village of Beynac to the château above it
File:Beynac-at-Cazenac.JPG, Beynac-et-Cazenac