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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.

The woman, from the town of Borja in northern Spain, rose to prominence thirteen years ago after she attempted to restore a century-old fresco known as Ecce Homo located in her parish church.

Giménez's restoration effort quickly went viral and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", largely due to the resulting likeness of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a hairy monkey.

Official Announcement 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," the mayor posted.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "due to 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 Now-Infamous Intervention

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 Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza.

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

She added at the time that anybody who entered the Church would have seen she was applying paint to the existing image.

A Surprising Economic Lifeline

The impact of the repaint job led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and saw the previously sleepy town of Borja rapidly turn into a significant visitor attraction.

The town, which had previously welcomed just five thousand tourists per year, attracted over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated over €50,000 for charity from the attention.

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

Legacy and Community Admiration

After recovering from the wave of criticism, with support from local residents and others around the world, Giménez later stage an art exhibition featuring 28 of her own paintings.

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

Ultimately, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful art repair forged an unlikely piece of pop culture and brought unprecedented attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.