Cazenac Church & Hamlet
Most visitors to Beynac-et-Cazenac never realise the commune has two distinct parts — they see the cliff-face village and the castle and leave. Drive or walk two kilometres south up the hill to the hamlet of Cazenac and you find a 15th-century Gothic church perched on a ridge with sweeping views over a patchwork of walnut orchards and sunflower fields that most tourists never see.
The church and its setting
The Église de Cazenac is a simple, single-nave Gothic chapel with a square bell tower, dating from the 15th century and still in regular use by the tiny local community. The interior is spare and beautiful — plain stone, old wooden pews, a carved altarpiece — and the silence inside is absolute. It is left unlocked during daylight hours.
The grassy churchyard surrounding it is one of the finest quiet picnic spots in the area, with a low stone wall you can sit on and look out over the Dordogne valley below. Bring a baguette, some Cabécou cheese and a bottle of Bergerac Sec and you have a perfect Périgord afternoon.
Getting there on foot
A signed footpath (GR 64 variant) climbs from the village of Beynac up through oak and chestnut woodland to Cazenac in about 40 minutes. The path is steep in places but well maintained, and the woodland canopy makes it manageable even in summer heat. The return via the same path gives you a different perspective on the castle from above.
Alternatively, the D49 road from Beynac to Cazenac is driveable in five minutes and has a small parking area beside the church. Either way, the detour rewards you with a side of the commune that almost nobody visits.
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