🔗 Share this article Spanish Woman Who Found Notoriety for Botching a Prized Painting Restoration Dies at Age 94 Cecilia Giménez's handiwork of the Ecce Homo artwork. The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her poorly executed repair job on a valuable Jesus Christ fresco has passed away at the age of 94. Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she undertook to restore a century-old fresco known as Ecce Homo located in her local church. Giménez's handiwork spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the altered likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate. Local Announcement and Tribute The nonagenarian's death was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he acknowledged her as a "great lover of painting from a young age". "Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," Arilla wrote. Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the poor state of conservation it was in, Cecilia, with the best intentions, chose to repaint the work over". The Painting's History and the Fateful Act The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for more than a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza. At the time, Giménez, then 81, explained 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 entered the Church would have seen she was painting over the existing artwork. An Unexpected Economic Lifeline The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a significant visitor attraction. The town, which had in the past seen only 5,000 tourists per year, received more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the interest. Currently, local authorities say that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja every year to view the famous portrait, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass. Legacy and Local Support After recovering from the initial backlash, backed by the townspeople and others globally, Giménez later hold an art exhibition featuring 28 of her own paintings. She was commended by Borja's mayor for her kind-hearted nature and years of faithful service to the church. In the end, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed act of restoration created an unlikely cultural icon and provided unprecedented attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.