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The Spanish parishioner who made international headlines for her infamous restoration attempt on a cherished religious painting has passed away at the age 94.

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she attempted to repaint a century-old fresco known as Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.

Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and earned the moniker "Monkey Christ", largely due to the resulting likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.

Local Confirmation and Tribute

The 94-year-old's death was confirmed by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he acknowledged her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a young age".

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," the mayor posted.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "because of the deteriorated condition it was in, Cecilia, with the best intentions, chose to apply new paint over the original".

The Painting's History and the Fateful Act

The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) painted by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for over a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.

At the time, Giménez, who was 81 years old, stated that parishioners had "traditionally fixed everything here", and that she had been given the go-ahead from the local priest to proceed.

She added at the time that anybody who entered the Church would have observed she was applying paint to the original artwork.

A Surprising Economic Lifeline

The impact of the restoration led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a significant tourist destination.

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

Today, local authorities estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to view the famous painting, which is now protected by a protective shield of glass.

Later Life and Local Support

After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from the townspeople and others around the world, Giménez later hold an exhibition of her paintings showcasing twenty-eight of her own works.

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

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