[1] It is unclear when Gilduin became abbot of St. Mary, but he was in this position when his cousin Baldwin II confirmed the privileges of the abbey, the chief Marian shrine in Jerusalem, on 31 January 1120.
Hugh, in possession of two sacred relics — a finger of St. Stephen and a tooth of John the Baptist - was concerned about keeping the relics in a place that could be overrun by Moslems.
He gave the relics to Gilduin for transfer to Cluny, now under Pons of Melgueil, a mission which he completed.
Les Lignages d’Outremer identified Balian [Barisan] as the brother of a Count Guilduin of Chartres.
Riley-Smith speculates that Barisan may have been the illegitimate brother or brother-in-law of Gilduin,[3] but there is little evidence to support this.