Spanish Parishioner Who Found Fame for Botching a Prized Painting Restoration Has Died at the Age of 94

The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her poorly executed repair job on a valuable religious painting has died at the age 94.

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she undertook to restore a century-old painting titled Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.

Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Monkey Christ", largely due to the resulting depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.

Local Confirmation and Homage

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

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, we will always remember you," the mayor posted.

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

The Artwork's History and the Now-Infamous Act

The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) painted by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for more than a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza.

At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish priest to proceed.

She also noted that anybody who came into the Church would have seen she was painting over the existing artwork.

An Unexpected Tourist Boom

The impact of the repaint job spawned the "Ecce Mono" meme and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.

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

Today, local authorities estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja each year to view the notorious painting, which is now protected by a protective shield of glass.

Legacy and Local Support

After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from the townspeople and others globally, Giménez went on to hold an art exhibition featuring 28 of her personal paintings.

She was praised by Borja's mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the parish.

In the end, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed art repair forged an improbable piece of pop culture and brought unprecedented attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.