Spanish Parishioner Who Found Notoriety for Botching a Prized Fresco Restoration Has Died at Age 94
The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her infamous repair job on a valuable religious painting has died at the age 94.
The woman, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, became a global sensation 13 years ago after she attempted to restore a century-old fresco titled Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.
Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", largely due to the altered depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey.
Local Confirmation and Tribute
The 94-year-old's passing was confirmed by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he acknowledged her as a "passionate enthusiast of painting from a young age".
"Descansa en paz 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 August 2012, which "due to the poor state of conservation it presented, Cecilia, with the best intentions, chose to apply new paint over the original".
The Artwork's Background and the Fateful Intervention
The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) painted by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided 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 "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the parish priest to do the work.
She also noted that anyone who entered the Church would have observed she was painting over the original artwork.
A Surprising Tourist Boom
The impact of the restoration led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.
The municipality, which had in the past welcomed just five thousand tourists per year, attracted more than 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 travel to Borja every year to view the notorious painting, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.
Later Life and Community Support
Following the wave of criticism, with support from the townspeople and well-wishers globally, Giménez went on to hold an exhibition of her paintings showcasing twenty-eight of her personal works.
She was praised by the mayor for her generosity 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 piece of pop culture and brought unprecedented tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.
