Spanish-born Woman Who Found Fame for Mishandling a Prized Painting Repair Dies at Age 94

The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a cherished Jesus Christ fresco has died at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast 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 earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the altered depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.

Local Announcement and Tribute

The 94-year-old's death was announced by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he acknowledged her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a young age".

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," the mayor posted.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to repaint the work over".

The Artwork's History and the Now-Infamous Act

The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) painted by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for more than a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.

In 2012, Giménez, then 81, explained that parishioners had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the parish priest to proceed.

She added at the time that anyone who entered the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the original artwork.

A Surprising Tourist Boom

The impact of the restoration spawned the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.

The town, which had previously seen only five thousand tourists per year, attracted more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated over €50,000 for charity from the attention.

Today, local authorities say that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja every year to view the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.

Legacy and Local Admiration

After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from local residents and well-wishers around the world, Giménez later stage an exhibition of her paintings 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 church.

Ultimately, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful art repair forged an unlikely cultural icon and brought remarkable tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.