🔗 Share this article

The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her infamous repair job on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she undertook to repaint a 100-year-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her parish church.

Giménez's restoration effort spread across the internet and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", because the altered depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey.

Official Announcement and Homage

The 94-year-old's death was announced by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he acknowledged her as a "passionate enthusiast of painting from a young age".

"Rest in peace Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," Arilla wrote.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "because of the poor state of conservation it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to repaint the work over".

The Painting's Background and the Fateful Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) painted by nineteenth-century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza.

In 2012, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that parishioners had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish priest to do the work.

She also noted that anyone who came into the Church would have observed she was painting over the original artwork.

A Surprising Economic Lifeline

The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Ecce Mono" meme and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja rapidly turn into a significant visitor attraction.

The town, which had previously seen only 5,000 visitors per year, attracted more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated over €50,000 for charity from the interest.

Today, officials estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja each year to view the famous portrait, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.

Later Life and Community Support

After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from the townspeople and others around the world, Giménez went on to hold an art exhibition featuring 28 of her personal paintings.

She was commended by Borja's mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the church.

Ultimately, what began as a sincere but flawed art repair forged an improbable piece of pop culture and provided unprecedented tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.