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The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her infamous restoration attempt on a cherished Jesus Christ fresco has died at the age of 94.

The woman, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she attempted to restore a 100-year-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her parish church.

Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", because the resulting depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.

Official Announcement and Tribute

The nonagenarian'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, 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 "because of the poor state of conservation it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to repaint the work over".

The Artwork's History and the Fateful Act

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

In 2012, Giménez, who was 81 years old, explained that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish 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 original image.

An Unexpected Tourist Boom

The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and saw the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination.

The municipality, 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 travel to Borja each year to see the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.

Legacy and Local Support

After recovering from the wave of criticism, with support from local residents and others around the world, Giménez went on to stage an art exhibition featuring twenty-eight of her personal works.

She was praised by the mayor for her kind-hearted nature and years of faithful service to the parish.

Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed act of restoration created an unlikely cultural icon and brought unprecedented tourist revenue to a small Spanish town.