🔗 Share this article

The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a valuable Jesus Christ fresco has passed away at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she attempted to restore a 100-year-old painting known as Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.

Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", because the altered likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.

Official Confirmation and Homage

The nonagenarian's death was announced by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "passionate enthusiast of painting from a young age".

"Rest in peace Cecilia, we will always remember you," Arilla wrote.

Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "because of the poor state of conservation it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to apply new paint over the original".

The Painting's History and the Now-Infamous 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, who was 81 years old, explained that parishioners had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the local priest to proceed.

She added at the time that anyone who came into the church would have observed she was painting over the existing image.

An Unexpected Tourist Boom

The aftermath of the repaint job led to the creation of the "Monkey Christ" meme and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.

The municipality, which had previously welcomed just 5,000 tourists per year, received more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated over €50,000 for charity from the attention.

Currently, officials say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to see the famous portrait, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.

Later Life and Community Admiration

After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from the townspeople and well-wishers globally, Giménez later hold an exhibition of her paintings featuring twenty-eight of her own works.

She was commended by Borja's mayor for her generosity and years of faithful service to the church.

In the end, what began as a sincere but flawed act of restoration forged an unlikely cultural icon and provided remarkable tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.