Spanish-born Woman Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Prized Fresco Repair Has Died at Age 94
The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her infamous repair job on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age of 94.
Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she attempted to repaint a 100-year-old fresco known as Ecce Homo housed within her local church.
Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Monkey Christ", because the altered likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.
Local Confirmation and Homage
The nonagenarian's death was confirmed by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he described her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a very early age".
"Rest in peace Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," the mayor posted.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the poor state of conservation it was in, Cecilia, with the best intentions, chose to apply new paint over the original".
The Artwork's Background and the Now-Infamous Intervention
The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for more than a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.
In 2012, Giménez, then 81, stated that parishioners had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the parish priest to do the work.
She added at the time that anybody who came into the church would have seen she was painting over the original artwork.
An Unexpected Tourist Boom
The impact of the repaint job spawned the "Ecce Mono" meme and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.
The municipality, which had previously welcomed just five thousand tourists per year, attracted more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Currently, local authorities estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to view the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.
Later Life and Community Admiration
After recovering from the initial backlash, backed by the townspeople and others around the world, Giménez later stage an art exhibition showcasing 28 of her own works.
She was commended by the mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the parish.
Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but unsuccessful art repair created an unlikely cultural icon and provided unprecedented tourist revenue to a humble Spanish town.
