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The Spanish parishioner who made international headlines for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a valuable Jesus Christ fresco has passed away at the age of 94.

The woman, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she attempted to restore a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.

Giménez's restoration effort spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Monkey Christ", largely due to the altered likeness of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.

Official Announcement and Tribute

The 94-year-old's passing was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a very early age".

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, we will always remember you," the mayor posted.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it was in, Cecilia, with the best intentions, decided to repaint the work over".

The Artwork's History and the Fateful Act

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) painted by nineteenth-century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over a century in the Santuario de la Misericordia close to Zaragoza.

In 2012, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the local priest to proceed.

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

A Surprising Tourist Boom

The aftermath of the restoration led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" meme and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja rapidly turn into a major visitor attraction.

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

Today, local authorities say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja every year to view the notorious portrait, which is now protected by a protective shield of glass.

Legacy and Local Admiration

Following the wave of criticism, with support from the townspeople and well-wishers globally, Giménez later stage an exhibition of her paintings featuring twenty-eight of her personal paintings.

She was commended by the mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the parish.

Ultimately, what began as a sincere but flawed act of restoration forged an unlikely piece of pop culture and provided remarkable tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.