Spanish Woman Who Found Notoriety for Mishandling a Prized Painting Repair Has Died at the Age of 94
The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her infamous repair job on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age of 94.
Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she undertook to restore a 100-year-old painting known as Ecce Homo housed within her local church.
Giménez's handiwork spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", because the resulting depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.
Official Announcement and Homage
The nonagenarian's death was announced by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "passionate enthusiast of painting from a very early age".
"Rest in peace Cecilia, we will always remember you," the mayor posted.
Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the poor state of conservation it presented, Cecilia, with the best intentions, chose to repaint the work over".
The Painting's Background and the Now-Infamous Act
The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) painted by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for more than a century 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 proceed.
She added at the time that anyone who came into the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the existing artwork.
An Unexpected Economic Lifeline
The impact of the restoration spawned the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and saw the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.
The town, which had previously seen only 5,000 visitors per year, attracted over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the attention.
Today, officials estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to view the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.
Legacy and Local Admiration
After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from the townspeople and well-wishers around the world, Giménez later stage an exhibition of her paintings showcasing 28 of her personal paintings.
She was praised by the mayor for her kind-hearted nature and decades of dedication to the parish.
Ultimately, what began as a sincere but flawed act of restoration created an unlikely cultural icon and brought remarkable attention and resources to a small Spanish town.
