🔗 Share this article Spanish-born Parishioner Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Prized Painting Restoration Dies at the Age of 94 The handiwork of the century-old painting. The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a cherished religious painting has died at the age 94. The woman, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she attempted to restore a 100-year-old fresco known as Ecce Homo located in her parish church. Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the resulting likeness of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey. Local Announcement and Tribute The nonagenarian's passing was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a very early 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 August 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 History and the Fateful Act The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza. In 2012, Giménez, then 81, stated that parishioners had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish priest to proceed. She also noted that anyone who came into the Church would have observed she was painting over the existing image. A Surprising Tourist Boom The impact of the repaint job spawned the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination. The town, which had in the past welcomed just 5,000 tourists per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the attention. Today, officials say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja each year to view the famous portrait, which is now protected by a pane of glass. Legacy and Local Admiration Following the wave of criticism, backed by local residents and others around the world, Giménez went on to hold an exhibition of her paintings showcasing 28 of her own works. 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 well-intentioned but flawed art repair created an unlikely piece of pop culture and provided remarkable tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.