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

The woman, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she undertook to restore a 100-year-old fresco titled Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.

Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", because the altered depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.

Official Announcement and Homage

The nonagenarian's passing was confirmed by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he described her as a "great enthusiast of painting from a very early age".

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

Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in the summer of 2012, which "because of the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to repaint the work over".

The Artwork'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 Santuario de la Misericordia near Zaragoza.

In 2012, Giménez, then 81, stated that church members had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the parish priest to proceed.

She also noted that anyone who entered the Church would have observed she was painting over the existing artwork.

A Surprising Tourist Boom

The impact of the restoration spawned the "Monkey Christ" meme and saw the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major visitor attraction.

The municipality, which had in the past welcomed just 5,000 visitors per year, received more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.

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

Later Life and Local Support

After recovering from the initial backlash, backed by the townspeople and others around the world, Giménez later stage an exhibition of her paintings featuring twenty-eight of her personal paintings.

She was praised by Borja's mayor for her kind-hearted nature and decades of dedication to the parish.

In the end, what began as a sincere but flawed art repair forged an unlikely cultural icon and brought remarkable attention and resources to a small Spanish town.