The diocese of Vannes recently launched a website about the Bible in Breton (‘Ar Bibl e brezhoneg’), a linguistic minority in France. The project is aimed at approximately 210,000 speakers.

It is a beta version, where it is possible to read the Bible in its entirety. The full text is gradually being enhanced with audio versions.

“Discovering the Bible in Breton has never been easier. The ‘Reading the Bible in Breton’ section allows you to browse through the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Psalms”, explain the authors of the website.

Online and in paper versions

The platform will eventually include liturgical texts, as well as the catechism of the Roman Catholic church.

Until now, the Bible in Breton was only available online in the YouVersion website and application. Koad 21, a revision in modern Breton, was published in paper format in 2024.

First translated by a Protestant linguist

The first New Testament in Breton, published in 1827, was translated by the Protestant linguist Jean-François Le Gonidec. In 1866, thanks to the work of a lexicographer and a writer, a version of the Old Testament was added.

A pastor produced a second complete translation of the Bible published in 1897. From the 1940s onwards, several Catholic priests succeeded each other in several translations.