Spanish-born Woman Who Gained Notoriety for Botching a Prized Fresco Repair Has Died at the Age of 94
The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a valuable religious painting has died at the age of 94.
Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northern Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she undertook to restore a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.
Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", because the altered depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey.
Official Announcement and Homage
The nonagenarian's death was confirmed by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he acknowledged her as a "great lover of painting from a very early age".
"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," the mayor posted.
Arilla further referenced Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, with the best intentions, decided to repaint the work over".
The Painting's History and the Fateful Intervention
The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) painted by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a century 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 received permission from the local priest to do the work.
She also noted that anyone who came into the church would have observed she was painting over the existing image.
A Surprising Economic Lifeline
The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination.
The municipality, which had previously welcomed just five thousand tourists per year, attracted more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Currently, officials estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to see the notorious painting, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.
Later Life and Community Support
Following the initial backlash, with support from local residents and others around the world, Giménez later hold an exhibition of her paintings featuring 28 of her own works.
She was commended by the mayor for her generosity and decades of dedication to the parish.
In the end, what began as a well-intentioned but unsuccessful act of restoration forged an unlikely cultural icon and provided unprecedented tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.