Langue (Knights Hospitaller)

Coat of arms of the Langue of France (left) and of Grand Master Pierre d'Aubusson (right) on the French auberge in Rhodes

A langue or tongue (Italian: lingua) was an administrative division of the Knights Hospitaller (also known as the Order of St. John of Jerusalem) between 1319 and 1798. The term referred to a rough ethno-linguistic division of the geographical distribution of the Order's members and possessions. Each langue was subdivided into Priories or Grand Priories, Bailiwicks and Commanderies. Each langue had an auberge as its headquarters, some of which still survive in Rhodes, Birgu and Valletta.[1]

  1. ^ Cassar, Paul (1946). "The Hospital of the Order of St. John in Malta" (PDF). Scientia. 12 (2): 57–59.