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The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her poorly executed repair job on a valuable Jesus Christ fresco has died at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she attempted to repaint a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her parish church.

Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and was dubbed "Monkey Christ", largely due to the resulting depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.

Official Confirmation and Homage

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

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, we will always remember you," the mayor posted.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "due to the poor state of conservation it was in, 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) painted by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza.

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

She added at the time that anyone who came into the church would have seen she was painting over the existing image.

An Unexpected Tourist Boom

The aftermath of the repaint job led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" meme and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a major tourist destination.

The town, which had previously welcomed just 5,000 tourists per year, attracted over 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the attention.

Today, local authorities estimate that between 15,000 and 20,000 tourists visit Borja each year to view the notorious portrait, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.

Later Life and Community Admiration

Following the initial backlash, backed by the townspeople and well-wishers globally, Giménez later hold an art exhibition featuring 28 of her personal works.

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

In the end, what began as a well-intentioned but unsuccessful art repair created an improbable piece of pop culture and brought unprecedented tourist revenue to a humble Spanish town.