Spanish-born Parishioner Who Gained Notoriety for Botching a Famous Painting Repair Has Died at the Age of 94

The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her infamous repair job on a cherished religious painting has passed away at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she undertook to repaint a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her parish church.

Giménez's restoration effort spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the altered depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.

Local Confirmation and Homage

The nonagenarian's passing was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "passionate enthusiast of painting from a very early age".

"Rest in peace Cecilia, we will always remember you," Arilla wrote.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to apply new paint over the original".

The Painting's Background and the Now-Infamous Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for more than a hundred years in the Santuario de la Misericordia near Zaragoza.

In 2012, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that parishioners had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had received permission from the local priest to do the work.

She added at the time that anybody who entered the Church would have observed she was painting over the existing artwork.

An Unexpected Economic Lifeline

The impact of the restoration spawned the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a major visitor attraction.

The municipality, which had previously welcomed just five thousand visitors per year, attracted over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated over €50,000 for charity from the attention.

Currently, local authorities estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja every year to view the notorious painting, which is now protected by a pane of glass.

Later Life and Local Admiration

Following the initial backlash, backed by local residents and well-wishers globally, Giménez later stage an exhibition of her paintings featuring twenty-eight of her personal paintings.

She was praised by the mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the church.

Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed art repair forged an unlikely cultural icon and brought remarkable attention and resources to a small Spanish town.