Spanish Woman Who Gained Fame for Botching a Prized Painting Repair Has Died at the Age of 94
The Spanish parishioner who made international headlines for her poorly executed repair job on a cherished religious painting has died at the age 94.
The woman, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she attempted to restore a century-old fresco known as Ecce Homo housed within her local church.
Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and was dubbed "Potato Jesus", largely due to the resulting depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.
Official Announcement and Tribute
The 94-year-old's passing was confirmed by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "great lover of painting from a young age".
"Descansa en paz Cecilia, we will always remember you," Arilla wrote.
Arilla further referenced Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it was in, Cecilia, with the best intentions, decided to apply new paint over the original".
The Painting's History and the Now-Infamous Act
The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) painted by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over 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 "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the parish priest to proceed.
She also noted that anybody who came into the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the original image.
A Surprising Tourist Boom
The impact of the restoration spawned the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a major visitor attraction.
The town, which had previously seen only 5,000 tourists per year, attracted more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the attention.
Currently, officials say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja every year to view the notorious portrait, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.
Later Life and Local Admiration
Following the initial backlash, backed by local residents and well-wishers around the world, Giménez later hold an exhibition of her paintings showcasing 28 of her personal paintings.
She was praised by the mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the church.
Ultimately, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful act of restoration created an unlikely piece of pop culture and brought remarkable attention and resources to a small Spanish town.
