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What difficulties did Francesco Borromini face during the final years of his life?

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Rome: Piazza Navona — Francesco Borromini Piazza Navona, Rome, with the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone, designed by Francesco Borromini, and (foreground) the Fountain of the Moor, originally designed by Giacomo della Porta and revised by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

During the 1660s, the Italian architect Francesco Borromini experienced a tragic decline in his professional and personal life. He faced significant career setbacks, including the loss of his major commission for Sant’Agnese in Agone, the halting of work on Sant’Andrea delle Fratte, and the disfigurement of his facade for St. Philip Neri. These professional disappointments were compounded by the deaths of his only disciple, Francesco Righi, and his most supportive patron, Padre Virgilio Spada.

Borromini also struggled with intense professional rivalry and resentment toward his contemporary, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Suffering from severe melancholia and hypochondriac hallucinations, he withdrew from society, eventually burning his drawings. His mental state deteriorated to the point where he was forbidden from working. In a state of fury and despair on a summer night in 1667, he took his own life by falling upon a sword. While he repented and received the last sacraments before dying, his final years were marked by profound disillusionment and isolation.1