Spanish Woman Who Found Notoriety for Botching a Famous Painting Restoration Has Died at the Age of 94
The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a cherished religious painting has passed away at the age 94.
The woman, 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 titled Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.
Giménez's restoration effort spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Monkey Christ", because the resulting likeness of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey.
Official Confirmation and Tribute
The 94-year-old's passing was announced by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "passionate lover of painting from a very early age".
"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," Arilla wrote.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to repaint the work over".
The Painting's Background and the Fateful Act
The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.
At the time, Giménez, then 81, explained that parishioners had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish priest to proceed.
She added at the time that anybody who came into the Church would have seen she was painting over the original artwork.
A Surprising Economic Lifeline
The impact of the restoration led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination.
The town, which had in the past welcomed just five thousand visitors per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated over €50,000 for charity from the attention.
Currently, local authorities say that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to see the notorious painting, which is now protected by a protective shield of glass.
Later Life and Local Admiration
After recovering from the wave of criticism, with support from the townspeople and others globally, Giménez later stage an exhibition of her paintings showcasing 28 of her personal paintings.
She was commended by the mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the church.
In the end, what began as a sincere but flawed art repair created an improbable piece of pop culture and provided unprecedented tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.
