🔗 Share this article Spanish Woman Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Famous Fresco Repair Dies at the Age of 94 The restoration of the century-old painting. The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her poorly executed repair job on a cherished religious painting has died at the age of 94. Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she undertook to restore a 100-year-old fresco titled Ecce Homo housed within her local church. Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and was dubbed "Potato Jesus", largely due to the altered likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey. Local Confirmation and Tribute 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 lover 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 "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to repaint the work over". The Painting's Background and the Fateful Intervention 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, who was 81 years old, explained that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the parish priest to do the work. She added at the time that anyone who came into the church would have seen she was applying paint to the original image. An Unexpected Tourist Boom The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination. The town, 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 attention. Today, local authorities estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja every year to see the notorious portrait, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass. Later Life and Community Support Following the wave of criticism, backed by the townspeople and well-wishers globally, Giménez went on to stage an art exhibition showcasing twenty-eight of her personal works. She was praised by the mayor for her kind-hearted nature and years of dedication to the parish. Ultimately, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful act of restoration forged an unlikely piece of pop culture and brought remarkable attention and resources to a small Spanish town.