Situated in the French département of Dordogne, the commune of Beynac-et-Cazenac is home to the castle known as Château de Beynac. Among the most well-known and well-preserved in the area is the castle. Perched on a limestone cliff, this austere edifice from the Middle Ages dominates both the village and the north bank of the Dordogne. To seal off the valley, the lords of Beynac, one of the four baronies of Périgord, erected the fortress in the twelfth century. Since the sheer rock face would deter any attack from that direction, the defenses were erected on the plateau and included twin barbicans, double crenellated walls, and double moats, one of which was a naturally occurring ravine that had been widened. The largest and oldest portion of the castle is a massive square-shaped Romanesque keep with few windows and vertical walls that is kept together by watch towers attached to it. It also has a narrow spiral stairway that ends on a terrace with crenellations. A similar-era home that was expanded and remodeled in the 16th and 17th centuries is linked to one side. A partially 14th-century home with a courtyard and a square-plan stairway leading to the 17th-century apartments is located on the other side. The 17th-century painted ceiling and woodwork are still intact in the flats. The Salle des État features a modest oratory completely painted in murals from the fifteenth century, as well as a Renaissance-style fireplace. French forces occupied the Beynac citadel during the Hundred Years War. The border separating France and England was the Dordogne. The English controlled the Château de Castelnaud, which was located nearby on the other side of the river. The Dordogne area saw several power struggles, conflicts, and even skirmishes between the supporters of the English and French forces. But since the forces required to capture these castles were so expensive—only the wealthiest nobles and kings could afford to build and maintain them—the castles fell more frequently via deceit and intrigue than through open attack. Lucien Grosso purchased the castle in 1962 and has since repaired it. Sumptuous tapestries depicting hunting and other scenes from the lives of the lords of the era are on display for visitors to the castle. The French Ministry of Culture has designated the Château de Beynac as a monument historique since 1944
[Information and Image Credit : Château_de_Beynac, Wikipedia]
[Wikipedia-Link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Beynac ]
[Image : Beynac-et-Cazenac view from Jardins de Marqueyssac ; Wikipedia-Image-Author : Ladislaus Hoffner]
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#Castles#History#Architecture
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Monuments and Architecture
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