The artist was the first child of Fermo Merisi and his second wife, Lucia Aratori. He was born in the autumn of 1571, probably in the small town of Caravaggio in the diocese of Cremona , after which he would later come to be named. His Christian name of Michelangelo suggests that his exact birth date was September 29, the feast day of the Archangel Michael . Despite assertions by Giulio Mancini, author of one of the earliest biographies of Caravaggio, that the artist’s father was majordomo and architect to the powerful Francesco Sforza I, marchese of Caravaggio, the historical record reveals a more humble truth. Fermo Merisi was no architect but a simple stonemason who is referred to in documents of the time as a mastro : a qualified artisan entitled to run a workshop and hire apprentices. The artist’s family did have connections with the local nobility but only on Caravaggio’s mother’s side. His maternal grandfather, Giovan Giacomo Aratori, was a land surveyor who acted directly as an agent for Francesco Sforza I, serving as a legal witness for the Sforza family and collecting rents on their behalf. Aratori’s daughter, Margarita, Caravaggio’s maternal aunt, was wet nurse to the children of Francesco Sforza I and his wife, Costanza Colonna, marchesa of Caravaggio. The Sforza and Colonna were among the most powerful and influential dynasties in Italy . Caravaggio’s connections to them would prove vitally important to him in later life. Costanza Colonna, in particular, would be a constant support during his most troubled years, giving him refuge and shielding him from justice when he was a wanted man.