Beynac-et-Cazenac

Beynac-et-Cazenac
Beynac-et-Cazenac
Commune
	Beynac and its château by the Dordogne River
	Coat of arms
	Location of Beynac-et-Cazenac
	Beynac-et-Cazenac Beynac-et-Cazenac
	Coordinates: 44°50′28″N 1°08′41″E / 44.8411°N 1.1447°E
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Dordogne
Arrondissement	Sarlat-la-Canéda
Canton	Sarlat-la-Canéda
Intercommunality	Périgord Noir
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Alain Passerieux
Area 1	12.74 km2 (4.92 sq mi)
Population (2008)	514
• Density	40/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
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.

Beynac-et-Cazenac is a village located 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.

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.