Spanish-born Parishioner Who Found Fame for Mishandling a Prized Fresco Restoration Has Died at the Age of 94
The elderly woman from Spain 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 northeast Spain, became a global sensation 13 years ago after she attempted 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", because the resulting depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.
Official Announcement and Homage
The 94-year-old's death was announced by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he acknowledged her as a "great lover of painting from a very early age".
"Rest in peace Cecilia, we will always remember you," the mayor posted.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "because of the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, with the best intentions, chose to apply new paint over the original".
The Painting's Background and the Now-Infamous Act
The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) painted by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over a century in the Santuario de la Misericordia close to Zaragoza.
At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, explained that parishioners had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the local priest to proceed.
She added at the time that anybody who came into the church would have seen she was painting over the existing image.
An Unexpected Tourist Boom
The aftermath of the restoration led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" meme and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja rapidly turn into a major tourist destination.
The town, which had previously welcomed just 5,000 visitors per year, attracted over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise more than €50,000 for charity from the attention.
Today, officials say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja every year to view the famous portrait, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.
Later Life and Community Admiration
Following the initial backlash, backed by local residents and others globally, Giménez later hold an art exhibition showcasing 28 of her own works.
She was praised by Borja's mayor for her kind-hearted nature and years of dedication to the parish.
Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but unsuccessful art repair created an improbable cultural icon and brought remarkable tourist revenue to a humble Spanish town.