Spanish-born Woman Who Gained Fame for Botching a Famous Painting Repair Dies at the Age of 94
The Spanish parishioner who made international headlines for her poorly executed repair job on a valuable religious painting has died at the age 94.
The woman, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she attempted to repaint a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her parish church.
Giménez's handiwork spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Monkey Christ", largely due to the altered depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.
Official Confirmation and Tribute
The nonagenarian's death was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he acknowledged her as a "great 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 "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "because of the deteriorated condition it was in, Cecilia, with the best intentions, chose to apply new paint over the original".
The Artwork's History and the Now-Infamous Intervention
The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a century in the Santuario de la Misericordia close to Zaragoza.
At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that church members had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the local priest to proceed.
She added at the time that anyone who entered the church would have seen she was painting over the existing artwork.
A Surprising Tourist Boom
The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Monkey Christ" meme and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a major visitor attraction.
The municipality, which had in the past welcomed just five thousand tourists per year, received more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Currently, officials say that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja every year to view the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.
Legacy and Local Support
Following the initial backlash, backed by local residents and well-wishers around the world, Giménez went on to stage an art exhibition showcasing twenty-eight of her personal works.
She was praised by Borja's mayor for her generosity and years of dedication to the parish.
In the end, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful art repair forged an improbable piece of pop culture and provided remarkable attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.
