The barons of Beynac, one of the four baronies of Périgord, built the castle in the 12th century to control the valley. It sits on a limestone cliff above the Dordogne. The keep is large, square and Romanesque, with few openings. The defenses include double crenellated walls, double moats, one a deepened natural ravine, and a double barbican. The residence beside the keep was remodeled in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the article gives no architect.
During the Hundred Years' War the French held Beynac, while the English held Castelnaud across the river. The Salle des États has a Renaissance fireplace, and the oratory frescoes date to the 15th century.
Lucien Grosso bought and restored it in 1962. Visitors can see tapestries of hunting scenes, and it has been a monument historique since 1944.
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