Feiz ha Breiz

Feiz ha Breiz, whose name means “Faith and Brittany,” is a Breton-language Catholic periodical founded in 1865 in the Diocese of Quimper and Léon. It was created to provide religious and community journalism in Breton for inhabitants of the diocese and became one of the most important recurring publications in the Breton language. Its identity has been closely linked to the preservation of Breton, Catholic social and religious life, and competing interpretations of Breton regional and national identity. The original journal was established after Léopold de Léseleuc, bishop of Autun, encouraged Monseigneur Sergeant, bishop of Quimper and Léon, to support a Breton-language newspaper. Sergeant entrusted editorial responsibility to Goulven Morvan, a priest of Tréhou known for his command of Breton and his experience in local parishes. The first issue appeared on February 4, 1865. Morvan edited the publication until 1875. The first phase ended on April 26, 1884, with Gabriel Milin serving as the final editor from 1883 to 1884. Milin was a lay Breton-language writer whose interest in Breton literature had been reinforced through his association with Colonel Troude, a compiler of a Breton dictionary. The title was revived through the Feiz ha Breiz Association, created within the Diocese of Quimper and Léon to defend and promote the Breton language. The new series began with an issue dated January 1900. It was soon absorbed into Bleun-Brug, a Breton Catholic organization founded by Abbé Jean-Marie Perrot. Perrot participated in the editorial work from 1902, became the de facto editor in 1907, and held the formal editorial role from 1911 until his death in December 1943. During this period, Feiz ha Breiz expanded its publishing identity. From February 1921 to December 1926 it appeared under the combined title Feiz ha Breiz, Arvorig ha Kroaz-ar-Vretoned. A French-language edition for Upper Brittany was also published under the title Foi et Bretagne, organe du Bleun-Brug de Haute-Bretagne. The journal’s history was affected by the political conflicts surrounding Breton nationalism during the Second World War. It became associated with the collaborationist strand of the Breton National movement. After Jean-Marie Perrot was assassinated by the Resistance, the publication continued briefly under Abbé L. Bleunven, but the wartime series ended with its final issue in March 1944. After the war, the publishing tradition was recreated in 1945 under the title Kroaz Breiz, which soon changed to Bleun-Brug. A later division within Bleun-Brug in 1956 produced two distinct editorial and ideological directions. The more conservative and nationalist tendency was represented by Barr-Heol war Feiz ha Breizh, edited by Father Marsel Klerg, while the more progressive and regionalist tendency was represented by Bleun-Brug, which continued as a bilingual scholarly journal under Canon François Mevellec. Because the title has appeared through several series, affiliated publications, and successor names, the continuity between the original Feiz ha Breiz and later publications should be treated as historical and institutional rather than as a straightforward uninterrupted commercial brand. Its present operational status is not established by the available material.

Feiz ha Breiz was founded in 1865 as a Breton-language Catholic journal serving the Diocese of Quimper and Léon. Its creation followed advocacy by Léopold de Léseleuc, bishop of Autun, who persuaded Monseigneur Sergeant of the usefulness of a newspaper written for Breton-speaking inhabitants. Sergeant assigned the work to Goulven Morvan, priest of Tréhou, who edited the journal from 1865 to 1875. The first issue was published on February 4, 1865. The original series ended on April 26, 1884. Its final editor was Gabriel Milin, who held the role from 1883 to 1884. Milin was a lay writer in Breton and had developed his literary interests in connection with Colonel Troude, known for compiling a Breton dictionary. A Feiz ha Breiz Association established in the Diocese of Quimper and Léon later supported the revival of the journal as part of efforts to protect the Breton language. The new series was dated January 1900. It was soon incorporated into the activities of Bleun-Brug, a Breton Catholic organization founded by Abbé Jean-Marie Perrot. Perrot contributed to the journal from 1902, became its semi-official editor in 1907, and was formally editor from 1911 until his death in December 1943. The journal developed several related forms. Between February 1921 and December 1926 it used the expanded title Feiz ha Breiz, Arvorig ha Kroaz-ar-Vretoned. A French-language edition for Upper Brittany appeared as Foi et Bretagne, organe du Bleun-Brug de Haute-Bretagne. These editions show that the publication was not limited to a single standardized format, but operated within a wider Catholic and Breton cultural publishing network. During the Second World War, Feiz ha Breiz became associated with the collaborationist current of the Breton National movement. This political association substantially complicates the journal’s historical legacy. Following Perrot’s assassination by the Resistance, the publication continued briefly under Abbé L. Bleunven. The wartime series ended in March 1944. The post-war publishing tradition was revived in 1945, initially under the title Kroaz Breiz and soon afterward under the name Bleun-Brug. In 1956, Bleun-Brug divided into a more progressive and regionalist tendency and a more conservative and nationalist tendency. The former continued through a bilingual scholarly journal directed by Canon François Mevellec, while the latter was represented by Barr-Heol war Feiz ha Breizh under Father Marsel Klerg. The available references therefore document Feiz ha Breiz as an influential historical periodical and a source of successor titles, but do not establish a clear current publication status for the original title.

• 1956

  Bleun-Brug divides

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  The organization and its publishing tradition split into regionalist-progressive and nationalist-conservative directions.

• 1945

  Post-war publication revived

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  The tradition returned under the title Kroaz Breiz, which soon changed to Bleun-Brug.

• 1944

  Wartime series ends

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  The final issue of the wartime series appeared in March 1944.

• 1921

  Expanded title introduced

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  The journal began appearing as Feiz ha Breiz, Arvorig ha Kroaz-ar-Vretoned, a form retained through December 1926.

• 1911

  Jean-Marie Perrot becomes official editor

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  Perrot formally became editor and held the position until his death in 1943.

• 1907

  Jean-Marie Perrot becomes semi-official editor

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  Perrot, already involved from 1902, assumed semi-official editorial leadership.

• 1899

  Revival organized

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  The Feiz ha Breiz Association helped prepare the journal's return; the new series carried a January 1900 issue date.

• 1884

  Original series closes

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  The first run ended on April 26, with Gabriel Milin as its final editor.

• 1875

  End of Goulven Morvan's editorship

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  Goulven Morvan concluded a decade of editorial leadership over the original series.

• 1865

  First issue published

  [1]Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org

  Feiz ha Breiz published its first issue on February 4 as a Breton-language Catholic journal for the Diocese of Quimper and Léon.

A Catholic Breton-language periodical positioned at the intersection of diocesan communication, Breton-language preservation, regional culture, and debates over Breton regionalism and nationalism.

• Breton-language Catholic weekly journal · 1865

  Feiz ha Breiz

  The principal title was a Breton-language Catholic weekly associated with the Diocese of Quimper and Léon. It combined religious communication with local community material and participation in wider efforts to preserve Breton as a written public language. The original series ran from 1865 to 1884, was revived around 1899–1900, and continued in a wartime series until March 1944.

• Expanded journal title · 1921

  Feiz ha Breiz, Arvorig ha Kroaz-ar-Vretoned

  This expanded form of the title appeared from February 1921 through December 1926. It reflected the journal's place within a broader network of Breton Catholic and cultural publications rather than a wholly separate editorial identity.

• French-language regional edition

  Foi et Bretagne, organe du Bleun-Brug de Haute-Bretagne

  The French-language Upper Brittany edition extended the publication's reach beyond the Breton-speaking readership of Lower Brittany. It was connected to Bleun-Brug and served as a French-language expression of the same Catholic and regional cultural publishing environment.

• Post-war successor journal · 1945

  Kroaz Breiz

  After the Second World War, the Feiz ha Breiz publishing tradition was recreated under the name Kroaz Breiz. The title was soon changed to Bleun-Brug, making Kroaz Breiz a short-lived post-war successor designation.

• Breton Catholic and scholarly journal · 1945

  Bleun-Brug

  Bleun-Brug succeeded Kroaz Breiz after 1945 and later became associated with a regionalist and progressive editorial tendency after the 1956 split. The surviving publication is described as a bilingual scholarly journal directed by Canon François Mevellec.

• Nationalist successor journal · 1956

  Barr-Heol war Feiz ha Breizh

  This Breton-language title represented the conservative and nationalist tendency that emerged from the 1956 division of Bleun-Brug. It was run by Father Marsel Klerg and retained Feiz ha Breiz in its title as a marker of institutional and ideological continuity.

• 1944

  Association with wartime collaborationism

  During the Second World War, Feiz ha Breiz became associated with the collaborationist current of the Breton National movement. The association is a central controversy in the journal's history and must be considered alongside the assassination of editor Jean-Marie Perrot by the Resistance and the end of the wartime series in March 1944.

  Source

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• 1956

  Split into regionalist and nationalist publishing directionsOther

  Background

  Bleun-Brug divided between a progressive, regionalist-minded faction and a conservative, nationalist-minded faction.

  Action taken

  The regionalist tendency continued through Bleun-Brug, while the nationalist tendency produced Barr-Heol war Feiz ha Breizh.

  Aftermath

  The division created separate successor journals with different political and cultural orientations.

  Source

• 1945

  Post-war reconstitution under successor titlesStrategy

  Background

  The wartime Feiz ha Breiz series ended in March 1944 amid political controversy and the death of Jean-Marie Perrot.

  Action taken

  After the war, the publishing tradition returned as Kroaz Breiz and soon adopted the name Bleun-Brug.

  Aftermath

  The original title became part of a succession of related publications rather than a clearly documented uninterrupted post-war series.

  Source

• 1921

  Expanded journal identity introducedGeneration change

  Background

  The title operated within the publishing structure associated with Bleun-Brug.

  Action taken

  From February 1921 to December 1926, the journal used the combined name Feiz ha Breiz, Arvorig ha Kroaz-ar-Vretoned.

  Aftermath

  The expanded title documented the journal's relationship with allied Breton Catholic publications.

  Source

• 1899

  Revival through the Feiz ha Breiz AssociationStrategy

  Background

  The original journal had ceased in 1884, while the Diocese of Quimper and Léon remained concerned with protecting the Breton language.

  Action taken

  The Feiz ha Breiz Association organized a revival, producing a new series dated January 1900 and linking the title to Bleun-Brug.

  Aftermath

  The revived publication became part of a wider Breton Catholic cultural and organizational network.

  Source

1. 1Feiz ha Breizen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Diocese of Quimper Library Feiz ha Breiz collectionbibliotheque.diocese-quimper.fr