- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 12th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
- Coordinates
- 44.8403°, 1.1453°
History
The barons of Beynac began building the castle in the 12th century on a rock that drops straight down to the Dordogne, to command the valley and the river route. When Adhémar de Beynac died without heirs, Richard the Lionheart gave the fortress to his captain Mercadier, and after Mercadier was murdered in 1200 the barony returned to the family. According to the chronicles, in 1214 the castle was taken and partly demolished by Simon de Montfort, leader of the Albigensian Crusade. During the Hundred Years' War Beynac sided with the French king, and the river became the frontier with English Guyenne and with hostile Castelnaud on the opposite bank. The Beynac line died out in 1753, and their heirs, the Beaumont-Beynac family, held the castle until 1961; the following year Lucien Grosso bought it at auction and spent decades restoring it.
What to see
A steep lane climbs from the village clinging to the cliff up to the castle gates. Visitors see the massive keep, the hall of the Estates of Périgord with its Renaissance fireplace, and a small oratory covered with 15th-century frescoes, including a Last Supper. From the walls and terraces on the edge of the precipice there is one of the most famous views of the Dordogne valley, taking in the châteaux of Castelnaud, Marqueyssac and Fayrac.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1011026
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