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The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her poorly executed repair job on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age 94.

The woman, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she undertook to repaint a century-old fresco titled Ecce Homo housed within her local church.

Giménez's restoration effort spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the altered depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.

Official Announcement and Tribute

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

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

Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it was in, Cecilia, with the best intentions, decided to apply new paint over the original".

The Painting's Background and the Fateful Act

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) painted by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for more than a hundred years in the Santuario de la Misericordia close to Zaragoza.

In 2012, Giménez, then 81, explained that church members had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the local priest to do the work.

She added at the time that anyone who entered the Church would have observed she was applying paint to 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 rapidly turn into a major visitor attraction.

The municipality, which had previously welcomed just 5,000 visitors per year, attracted 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 visit Borja each year to see the famous portrait, which is now displayed behind a protective shield of glass.

Later Life and Local Admiration

After recovering from the initial backlash, backed by the townspeople and well-wishers globally, Giménez went on to stage an exhibition of her paintings showcasing 28 of her personal paintings.

She was commended by Borja's mayor for her generosity and years of dedication to the parish.

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