Spanish-born Woman Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Prized Painting Repair Has Died at Age 94

The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her infamous repair job on a cherished Jesus Christ fresco has passed away at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, became a global sensation 13 years ago after she undertook to restore a 100-year-old fresco known as Ecce Homo housed within her local church.

Giménez's handiwork spread across the internet and was dubbed "Potato Jesus", because the altered depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.

Local Confirmation and Tribute

The nonagenarian's passing was announced 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 also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to apply new paint over the original".

The Artwork's Background and the Now-Infamous Intervention

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

At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that parishioners had "traditionally fixed 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 entered the church would have observed she was applying paint to the existing artwork.

A Surprising Tourist Boom

The aftermath of the repaint job led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and saw the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination.

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

Currently, officials estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja every year to see the famous portrait, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.

Later Life and Local Support

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

She was praised by the mayor for her kind-hearted nature and decades of dedication to the church.

In the end, what began as a sincere but flawed act of restoration created an unlikely piece of pop culture and brought remarkable tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.