Cecilia Giménez, famed for ‘Monkey Christ’ mural mishap, dies at 94 | Spain
Cecilia Giménez, the woman who gained unwanted international fame by clumsily restoring a 19th-century mural of “Monkey Christ” in Borja, northeastern Spain, has died at the age of 94..
In 2012, Giménez, an amateur artist, decided to restore Ecce Homo, a mural by local artist Elías García Martínez that hung in the Santuario de Misericordia church in Borja. However, his talent as an artist was no match for his good will, and he produced what has been described as the worst restoration in history.
Amid the storm of ridicule and bad publicity surrounding what became known as the Monkey Jesus, Giménez went to bed suffering from an anxiety attack, losing 17 kilograms (37 lb) in the process. But he soon realized the notoriety was getting better as people began bidding to buy his own art, which he sold on eBay, and he later donated the proceeds to a Catholic charity.
The botched restoration first sparked interest online, then became a tourist attraction and the church began charging for entrance. Ryanair started special flights to Zaragoza, the nearest airport, and today thousands continue to visit the village to see his work.
Not only did the painting’s fame provide employment for the hallowed museum’s two caretakers, but the €600,000 it brought to the village also helped fund places at Borja’s care home for the elderly.
In 2023, the world premiere of the opera Behold the Man (Ecce Homo in English), based on the story written by US public relations expert Andrew Flack and with music composed by Paul Fowler, was held at Opera Las Vegas.
Giménez was not well enough to attend the ceremony, but his nephew was there to represent the family on opening night.
In his tribute to Giménez, Borja mayor Eduardo Arilla said that he had lived a difficult life. She was widowed when she was still young and had two disabled children; one of them died of muscular dystrophy.
Arilla emphasized the benefits he provided to Borja, saying that the greatest respect that can be shown to someone is the things they do in life. He said that the Ecce Homo center would be named after him, and perhaps a street or square would be named after him.
The local church said in a statement: “Cecilia was a devoted mother and warrior, a strong woman, but above all we must talk about her generosity that won the love of the whole world.”
