The Vezere Valley» Vezere Valley Dordogne France

Chateau Beynac

admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:49:41 +0000

The castle was built from the 12th century by the barons of Beynac (one of the four baronies of Périgord) to close the valley. The sheer cliff face being sufficient to discourage any assault from that side, the defences were built up on the plateau: double crenellated walls, double moats, one of which was a deepened natural ravine, double barbican.
The oldest part of the castle is a large, square-shaped, Romanesque keep with vertical sides and few openings, held together with attached watch towers and equipped with a narrow spiral staircase terminating on a crenellated terrace. To one side, a residence of the same period is attached; it was remodelled and enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries. On the other side is a partly 14th century residence side-by-side with a courtyard and a square plan staircase serving the 17th century apartments. The apartments have kept their woodwork and a painted ceiling from the 17th century. The Salle des États (States’ Hall) has a Renaissance sculptured fireplace and leads into a small oratory entirely covered with 15th century frescoes, included a Pietà, a Saint Christopher, and a Last Supper in which Saint Martial (first bishop of Limoges) is the maître d’hôtel.

At the time of the Hundred Years’ War, the fortress at Beynac was in French hands. The Dordogne was the border between France and England. Not far away, on the opposite bank of the river, the Château de Castelnaud was held by the English. The Dordogne region was the theatre of numerous struggles for influence, rivalries and occasionally battles between the English and French supporters. However, the castles fell more often through ruse and intrigue rather than by direct assault, because the armies needed to take these castles were extremely costly: only the richest nobles and kings could procure them.

The castle was bought in 1962 by Lucien Grosso who has lovingly restored it.

Cap Blanc Horse

admin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:36:52 +0000

Discovered in 1909 by a team of potholers, the Cave of Cap Blanc contains a unique collection of friezes sculptured in the cave walls. As in Lascaux, Cro-Magnon man had often painted or engraved walls, but here life size forms of horses and bison make the site totally unique, and as a result it has been classified by UNESCO and entered on the list of Human World Heritage sites.

This Rock Sculpture and lots more can be explored on Walking Dordogne’s “Cro Magnon, Romans and Templars” tour

www.walkingdordogne.com

Commarque

admin — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:00:05 +0000

Commarque has been occupied for a very long time, our prehistoric ancestors left numerous traces of their existence. Not far from the site at Commarque, Paleolithic man left two female statuettes known as the Venus of Sireuil and the Venus of Laussel.
On the other side of the valley, in the shelter at Cap Blanc, one can admire a frieze of prehistoric sculptures. Under Commarque Castle there is a cave where Magdalenian man carved animals on the wall, notably a very beautiful life-sized horse (not open to the public).

This Troglodyte and lots more can be explored on Walking Dordogne’s “Cro Magnon, Romans and Templars” tour