Spanish Parishioner Who Found Fame for Botching a Prized Painting Repair Has Died at Age 94
The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her poorly executed repair job on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age 94.
Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, became a global sensation 13 years ago after she undertook to restore a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.
Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the altered depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.
Local Announcement and Tribute
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 "great enthusiast of painting from a young 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 August 2012, which "because of 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 Fateful Act
The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for more than a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.
In 2012, Giménez, then 81, explained that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the local priest to do the work.
She added at the time that anyone who came into the church would have observed she was painting over the existing image.
An Unexpected Tourist Boom
The impact of the repaint job spawned the "Ecce Mono" meme and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major visitor attraction.
The municipality, which had previously welcomed just five thousand tourists per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.
Currently, officials estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja every year to view the notorious painting, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.
Legacy and Community Support
Following the wave of criticism, backed by the townspeople and others globally, Giménez later stage an art exhibition showcasing 28 of her personal works.
She was praised by the mayor for her generosity and years of faithful service to the parish.
Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed art repair created an improbable cultural icon and brought remarkable tourist revenue to a humble Spanish town.
