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The elderly woman from Spain who made international headlines for her poorly executed restoration attempt on a valuable religious painting has passed away at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northeast Spain, rose to prominence 13 years ago after she attempted to restore a century-old fresco known as Ecce Homo housed within her local church.

Giménez's handiwork quickly went viral and was dubbed "Potato Jesus", largely due to the resulting depiction of Christ's head bearing a resemblance to a furry primate.

Official Confirmation and Homage

The 94-year-old's passing was announced by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, in a social media post, where he described her as a "great 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 poor state of conservation it presented, Cecilia, acting in good faith, decided to apply new paint over the original".

The Artwork's Background and the Now-Infamous Intervention

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) painted by 19th century painter Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for more than a century in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church close to Zaragoza.

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

She added at the time that anyone who entered the Church would have seen she was painting over the existing artwork.

A Surprising Tourist Boom

The impact of the restoration 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 seen only 5,000 visitors per year, attracted more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and generated more than €50,000 for charity from the attention.

Today, officials estimate that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja every year to see the notorious portrait, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.

Later Life and Community Admiration

After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from local residents and well-wishers around the world, Giménez went on to stage an art exhibition featuring 28 of her personal paintings.

She was commended by Borja's mayor for her generosity and decades of dedication to the parish.

In the end, what began as a sincere but unsuccessful art repair created an improbable piece of pop culture and brought unprecedented attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.