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The Spanish parishioner who made international headlines for her poorly executed repair job on a cherished Jesus Christ fresco has passed away at the age 94.

The woman, from the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she undertook to restore a 100-year-old painting titled Ecce Homo housed within her local 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 looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.

Local Confirmation and Homage

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

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," Arilla wrote.

Arilla further referenced 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 apply new paint over the original".

The Artwork's History and the Fateful Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for more than a hundred years in the Santuario de la Misericordia close to Zaragoza.

At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that church members had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had received permission from the local priest to proceed.

She added at the time that anybody who entered the church would have seen she was painting over the original artwork.

An Unexpected Economic Lifeline

The aftermath of the repaint job spawned the "Monkey Christ" meme and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination.

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

Currently, officials say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja each year to see the famous painting, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.

Later Life and Community Support

Following the initial backlash, with support from the townspeople and others around the world, Giménez went on to hold an exhibition of her paintings featuring 28 of her personal works.

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

Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed act of restoration forged an improbable cultural icon and brought unprecedented attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.