Spanish-born Woman Who Found Fame for Mishandling a Famous Fresco Repair Has Died at the Age of 94
The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her infamous restoration attempt on a valuable Jesus Christ fresco has died at the age 94.
Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she attempted to restore a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her local church.
Giménez's restoration effort spread across the internet and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", because the resulting depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey.
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 "passionate lover of painting from a young age".
"Rest in peace Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," Arilla wrote.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the poor state of conservation it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose 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) by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.
At the time, Giménez, then 81, explained that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the parish priest to proceed.
She added at the time that anyone who entered the church would have observed she was painting over the original image.
An Unexpected Economic Lifeline
The aftermath of the repaint job led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja rapidly turn into a major visitor attraction.
The town, which had previously seen only 5,000 visitors per year, received more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Currently, local authorities say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja every year to see the famous painting, which is now protected by a protective shield of glass.
Later Life and Community Support
Following the initial backlash, with support from local residents and well-wishers globally, Giménez later stage an exhibition of her paintings featuring 28 of her personal paintings.
She was commended by Borja's mayor for her generosity and decades of dedication to the parish.
Ultimately, what began as a sincere but flawed art repair created an improbable piece of pop culture and brought unprecedented tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.
