🔗 Share this article Spanish Parishioner Who Found Fame for Mishandling a Famous Fresco Repair Has Died at Age 94 The handiwork of the Ecce Homo artwork. The Spanish parishioner who made international headlines for her poorly executed repair job on a valuable religious painting has died at the age of 94. The woman, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, became a global sensation 13 years ago after she undertook to restore a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her local church. Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the altered likeness of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey. Official Confirmation and Homage The 94-year-old's passing was announced by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, 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 further referenced Giménez's "now-legendary 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 Background and the Now-Infamous Act The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for more than a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza. At the time, Giménez, then 81, stated that parishioners had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish priest to proceed. She added at the time that anyone who entered the Church would have seen she was applying paint to the existing image. A Surprising Tourist Boom The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a significant visitor attraction. The municipality, which had previously seen only five thousand visitors per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated over €50,000 for charity from the attention. Currently, local authorities estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to see the famous painting, which is now protected by a pane 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 featuring 28 of her personal works. She was praised by Borja's mayor for her generosity and decades of dedication to the church. In the end, what began as a well-intentioned but unsuccessful act of restoration forged an unlikely piece of pop culture and provided unprecedented attention and resources to a small Spanish town.