Monkey Jesus painter Cecilia Giménez dead at 94

Cecilia Giménez, who so amazingly botched a restoration of a fresco depicting Jesus Christ that it and she became internationally famous, is dead at 94. The parishioner from Borja, Spain, set out to restore the faded and peeling icon 13 years ago, having gotten permission to do so from the priest. The resulting subject, nicknamed "Monkey Jesus" for his Monchhichi-esque fuzziness, has now certainly been seen by more people than Elias Garcia Martinez's 1930s Ecce Homo ever was at the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.

Borja's major, Eduardo Arilla, confirmed her death on social media.

Upon learning yesterday of the sad news of the passing of Doña Cecilia Giménez Zueco, the Borja City Council expresses its profound sorrow at this irreparable loss.

Cecilia was born in our city on January 23, 1931, and was therefore very close to celebrating her 95th birthday. In August 2012, she made headlines worldwide as the protagonist of the "Ecce Homo of Borja" incident. The world came to know her through this charming anecdote, but we all already knew what a wonderful person she was, and we will cherish the memory of an affable woman and a great lover of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy, where she spent long periods with her family. Kind and benevolent, she leaves behind the legacy of a strong woman, a devoted mother, and a deeply resilient individual who faced difficult challenges throughout her life with truly admirable sacrifice, courage, and determination. All these qualities earned her the affection, esteem, and respect of all her fellow citizens. We extend our deepest condolences to her entire family. We will always remember you. Rest in peace, dear Cecilia.

The church now enjoys a stream of tourists eager to see Monkey Jesus, now under a protective shield of glass. Next to it is a reproduction of the heavily-damaged original, and a professional restoration of it. "Giménez went on to stage an art exhibition with 28 of her own paintings," the BBC reports.

She said on Spanish national television that she started to restore the fresco because she was upset that parts of it had flaked off due to excessive moisture on the church's walls. … Giménez said that the attempted restoration was actually an incomplete work in progress. "I left it to dry and went on holiday for two weeks, thinking I would finish the restoration when I returned", she said. "When I came back, everybody in the world had heard about Ecce Homo. The way people reacted still hurts me, because I wasn't finished with the restoration."

Monkey Jesus was not the only questionable restoration of classic religious artwork to occur in Spain. Be sure to check out the Potato Head of Palencia and the 2-for-1 wonder of Murillo's Immaculate Conception, which, lacking the beastly Jesus's hirsute charm, finally led to some anger at amateur restorations.