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The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her poorly executed repair job on a cherished Jesus Christ fresco has passed away at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, from the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she undertook to repaint a 100-year-old painting known as Ecce Homo housed within her parish church.

Giménez's restoration effort spread across the internet and earned the moniker "Potato Jesus", largely due to the resulting depiction of Christ's head looking somewhat like a hairy monkey.

Official Confirmation and Homage

The nonagenarian's death was confirmed by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he acknowledged her as a "passionate lover of painting from a very early age".

"Rest in peace Cecilia, we will always remember you," the mayor posted.

Arilla also paid tribute to Giménez's "now-legendary restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "due to the deteriorated condition it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, chose to apply new paint over the original".

The Painting's Background and the Now-Infamous Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("This is the Man" in Latin) painted by nineteenth-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had been held for over a hundred years in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza.

At the time, Giménez, then 81, explained that church members had "traditionally fixed 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 seen she was painting over the original artwork.

An Unexpected Tourist Boom

The impact of the repaint job spawned the "Monkey Christ" meme and transformed the once quiet town of Borja quickly become a significant visitor attraction.

The town, which had in the past welcomed just 5,000 visitors per year, attracted more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the attention.

Today, 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 protective shield of glass.

Legacy and Local Admiration

Following the initial backlash, backed by local residents and well-wishers around the world, Giménez later hold an art exhibition featuring 28 of her personal paintings.

She was commended by the mayor for her generosity and decades of faithful service to the parish.

Ultimately, what began as a well-intentioned but flawed art repair forged an improbable cultural icon and brought unprecedented tourist revenue to a humble Spanish town.