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The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her infamous repair job on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age of 94.

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

Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Monkey Christ", largely due to the altered likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.

Local Announcement and Homage

The 94-year-old's passing was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he acknowledged her as a "great lover of painting from a very early age".

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," the mayor posted.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, with the best intentions, decided to apply new paint over the original".

The Artwork's History and the Fateful Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for more than a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza.

At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the parish priest to proceed.

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

An Unexpected Economic Lifeline

The aftermath of the restoration led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a significant visitor attraction.

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

Today, officials estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to view the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.

Later Life and Community Support

Following the initial backlash, backed by local residents and others around the world, Giménez went on to hold an exhibition of her paintings featuring twenty-eight of her own works.

She was praised by Borja's mayor for her kind-hearted nature and decades of faithful service to the parish.

Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but unsuccessful art repair forged an improbable cultural icon and provided unprecedented attention and resources to a small Spanish town.