Spanish-born Woman Who Gained Notoriety for Mishandling a Prized Fresco Repair Dies at Age 94

The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her infamous repair job on a cherished religious painting has passed away at the age 94.

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she attempted to restore a 100-year-old fresco known as Ecce Homo located in her local church.

Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", largely due to the resulting depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.

Local Announcement and Tribute

The nonagenarian's death was announced by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he described her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a young age".

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," Arilla wrote.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, with the best intentions, decided to apply new paint over the original".

The Artwork's History and the Now-Infamous Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) painted by nineteenth-century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for more than a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.

At the time, Giménez, then 81, stated that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the local priest to do the work.

She also noted that anyone who came into the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the existing artwork.

A Surprising Economic Lifeline

The aftermath of the restoration led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" meme and saw the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination.

The municipality, which had in the past seen only five thousand tourists per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.

Currently, local authorities estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja every year to view the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.

Later Life and Community Support

Following the initial backlash, backed by local residents and others globally, Giménez later stage an art exhibition showcasing 28 of her own paintings.

She was praised by Borja's mayor for her kind-hearted nature and decades of faithful service to the parish.

Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed art repair created an improbable piece of pop culture and provided unprecedented tourist revenue to a humble Spanish town.