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

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she undertook to repaint a 100-year-old fresco known as Ecce Homo located in her local church.

Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", because the resulting depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.

Local Announcement and Tribute

The nonagenarian's death was announced by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he acknowledged her as a "passionate lover 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 August 2012, which "due to the poor state of conservation it was in, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to repaint the work over".

The Painting's Background and the Fateful Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a hundred years in the Santuario de la Misericordia close to Zaragoza.

In 2012, Giménez, who was 81 years old, explained that parishioners had "always repaired everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the local priest to proceed.

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

A Surprising Tourist Boom

The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.

The municipality, which had in the past seen only 5,000 tourists per year, received over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the interest.

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

Legacy and Community Support

After recovering from the wave of criticism, backed by the townspeople and others around the world, Giménez later stage an art exhibition showcasing 28 of her own paintings.

She was commended by Borja's mayor for her generosity and years of faithful service to the church.

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