Beynac-et-Cazenac

Beynac and its château by the Dordogne River

Coat of arms

Beynac-et-Cazenac

Location within Aquitaine region

Beynac-et-Cazenac

Coordinates: 44°50′28″N 1°08′41″E / 44.8411°N 1.1447°ECoordinates: 44°50′28″N 1°08′41″E / 44.8411°N 1.1447°E

Country

Sarlat-la-Canéda

Périgord Noir

Government

• Mayor (2008–2014)

Alain Passerieux

Area¹

12.74 km² (4.92 sq mi)

Population (2008)²

514

• Density

40/km² (100/sq mi)

INSEE/Postal code

24040 / 24220

Elevation

53–288 m (174–945 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

² Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Beynac-et-Cazenac is a commune in the Dordogne 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 (most beautiful villages of France).^[1]

Geography

The commune lies on the banks of the Dordogne River 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Sarlat-la-Canéda.

The Dordogne River at Beynac

History

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 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 until 1761, the time of the marriage of Marie Claude de Beynac with Christophe de Beaumont. It was with Marie Claude de Beynac that this branch of the family ended. One of the descendants sold the château in 1961.

In 1827, the communes of Beynac and Cazenac were merged under the current name.