Spanish-born Parishioner Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Prized Fresco Repair Has Died at the Age of 94
The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a cherished Jesus Christ fresco has passed away at the age 94.
The woman, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she attempted to restore a 100-year-old painting titled Ecce Homo located in her parish church.
Giménez's handiwork spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Monkey Christ", because the resulting likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.
Local Announcement and Tribute
The 94-year-old's death was confirmed 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".
"Descansa en paz Cecilia, we will always remember you," Arilla wrote.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the poor state of conservation it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to repaint the work over".
The Artwork's Background and the Fateful Intervention
The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza.
In 2012, Giménez, then 81, stated that parishioners had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the local priest to do the work.
She also noted that anybody who entered the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the existing artwork.
A Surprising Tourist Boom
The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Ecce Mono" meme and transformed the once quiet town of Borja rapidly turn into a significant tourist destination.
The town, which had in the past seen only 5,000 visitors per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the attention.
Currently, officials say that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja every year to see the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.
Later Life and Community Support
After recovering from the initial backlash, backed by local residents and well-wishers globally, Giménez later stage an exhibition of her paintings showcasing twenty-eight of her personal paintings.
She was commended by the mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the church.
Ultimately, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful art repair forged an improbable piece of pop culture and brought unprecedented attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.
