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

Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, became a global sensation 13 years ago after she attempted to restore a 100-year-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her local church.

Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the resulting likeness of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey.

Official Announcement and Tribute

The nonagenarian's passing was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he acknowledged her as a "passionate lover of painting from a young age".

"Rest in peace Cecilia, we will always remember you," Arilla wrote.

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, acting in good faith, decided to apply new paint over the original".

The Artwork's History and the Now-Infamous Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) painted by nineteenth-century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a century 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 received permission from the parish priest to do the work.

She added at the time that anyone who came into the Church would have seen she was painting over the original artwork.

An Unexpected Economic Lifeline

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

The municipality, which had in the past seen only five thousand visitors per year, received more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the attention.

Currently, officials estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja every year to see the famous painting, which is now protected by a pane of glass.

Legacy and Community Admiration

Following the wave of criticism, with support from the townspeople and others globally, Giménez went on to stage an art exhibition showcasing twenty-eight of her personal paintings.

She was praised by Borja's mayor for her generosity and decades of dedication to the church.

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