Spanish Parishioner Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Famous Fresco Repair Has Died at the Age of 94

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

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she attempted to restore a century-old fresco known as Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.

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

Official 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".

"Rest in peace Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," the mayor posted.

Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the poor state of conservation it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to apply new paint over the original".

The Painting's Background and the Now-Infamous Act

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.

At the time, Giménez, then 81, explained that church members had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish priest to do the work.

She also noted that anyone who entered the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the existing image.

An Unexpected Tourist Boom

The impact of the repaint job led to the creation of the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.

The municipality, which had previously seen only five thousand visitors per year, attracted over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the interest.

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

Later Life and Community Support

After recovering from the wave of criticism, backed by the townspeople and others globally, Giménez went on to hold an art exhibition featuring twenty-eight of her own works.

She was commended by the mayor for her kind-hearted nature and years of dedication to the parish.

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