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The elderly woman from Spain who achieved global fame for her infamous repair job on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age 94.

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she attempted to repaint a 100-year-old fresco titled 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 depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.

Official Confirmation and Homage

The nonagenarian's passing was announced by Borja's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "passionate enthusiast of painting from a very early age".

"Rest in peace Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," 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 presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to repaint the work over".

The Artwork's History and the Now-Infamous Act

The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) by 19th century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for more than a hundred years in the Santuario de la Misericordia near Zaragoza.

In 2012, Giménez, then 81, stated that parishioners had "always repaired everything here", and that she had received permission from the local priest to do the work.

She also noted that anyone who came into the church would have observed she was applying paint to the original image.

An Unexpected Economic Lifeline

The aftermath of the restoration spawned the "Monkey Christ" internet phenomenon and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja quickly become a major visitor attraction.

The town, which had previously seen only five thousand visitors per year, attracted over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the interest.

Today, officials estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja each year to see the notorious painting, which is now protected by a protective shield of glass.

Legacy and Community Admiration

Following the wave of criticism, with support from local residents and others around the world, Giménez later stage an art exhibition showcasing twenty-eight of her own works.

She was commended by the mayor for her kind-hearted nature and years of faithful service to the church.

Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed act of restoration created an unlikely piece of pop culture and provided unprecedented attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.