Spanish Parishioner Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Prized Painting Repair Dies at the Age of 94
The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her infamous restoration attempt on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age 94.
The woman, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she undertook to restore a 100-year-old fresco known as Ecce Homo housed within her local church.
Giménez's handiwork spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the resulting likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.
Official Confirmation and Homage
The nonagenarian's passing was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he acknowledged her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a young age".
"Rest in peace Cecilia, we will always remember you," the mayor posted.
Arilla further referenced Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the poor state of conservation it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose 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) painted by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over a hundred years in the Santuario de la Misericordia near 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 painting over the existing artwork.
An Unexpected Economic Lifeline
The aftermath of the repaint job spawned the "Ecce Mono" meme and saw the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major visitor attraction.
The town, which had in the past seen only 5,000 tourists per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Today, officials say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to see the famous portrait, which is now protected by a pane of glass.
Later Life and Local Admiration
After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from local residents and others around the world, Giménez later stage an art exhibition featuring 28 of her own works.
She was praised by Borja's mayor for her kind-hearted nature and years of faithful service to the parish.
Ultimately, what began as a sincere but flawed art repair created an unlikely piece of pop culture and brought unprecedented tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.