prior general. Among communities of friars, the second superior is called the sub-prior and his office is similar to that of the claustral prior in the Benedictine Order. Chivalric Orders In the medieval order of St. John (also known as the Knights Hospitaller), a Grand Prior acted as the administrator of an order province known as a Grand Priory. These Grand Priories were joined into larger administrative units known as "Langues", which roughly encompassed all of the order properties within a single language sphere. The grand priories were sometimes subdivided into smaller priories and bailiwicks, and at the lowest level, into commanderies. While the subdivision into langues was abolished in 1798, the subdivision into grand priories still exists within the sovereign Order of Malta, the modern successor of the historical Order of St. John. Other chivalric orders, such as the military Order of Christ, the Knights of Santiago, or in general, the Orders founded in the context of the Reconquista, only had one Grand Prior who acted as the Orders' Chief-cleric. During the peak of the Orders' influence, the chivalric Grand Priors were considered to be equal in rank with a bishop. Since 1953, the priories of the Spanish Chivalric Order have been held in personal union by the Bishop of Ciudad Real. Within the Order of the Holy Sepulcher, the title of Grand prior is held in personal union by the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. See also Friar Catholic religious order Priory References Bibliography External links Ecclesiastical titles Organisation of Catholic religious orders Religious leadership roles