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The Spanish parishioner who achieved global fame for her infamous restoration attempt on a valuable Jesus Christ fresco has passed away at the age of 94.

Cecilia Giménez, a resident of the town of Borja in northern Spain, became a global sensation thirteen years ago after she attempted to restore a century-old painting known as Ecce Homo located in her local church.

Giménez's restoration effort spread across the internet and was dubbed "Potato Jesus", largely due to the resulting likeness of Christ's head looking somewhat like a furry primate.

Local Confirmation and Tribute

The 94-year-old's passing was announced by the town's mayor, Eduardo Arilla, via an online statement, where he acknowledged her as a "great lover of painting from a young age".

"Descansa en paz Cecilia, your memory will live on with us," the mayor posted.

Arilla further referenced Giménez's "famous restoration of Ecce Homo" in August 2012, which "due to the poor state of conservation it presented, Cecilia, with the best intentions, decided to apply new paint over the original".

The Painting's History and the Fateful Act

The Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man" in Latin) by nineteenth-century artist Elias Garcia Martinez had resided for more than a century in the Santuario de la Misericordia near 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 came into the Church would have seen she was painting over the original image.

A Surprising Economic Lifeline

The impact of the restoration led to the creation of the "Ecce Mono" internet phenomenon and transformed the previously sleepy town of Borja rapidly turn into a major tourist destination.

The municipality, which had previously welcomed just 5,000 visitors per year, received more than 40,000 tourists by 2013, and managed to raise over €50,000 for charity from the interest.

Currently, local authorities say that somewhere around 15,000 and 20,000 tourists travel to Borja each year to view the notorious painting, which is now displayed behind a pane of glass.

Later Life and Community Admiration

After recovering from the initial backlash, with support from the townspeople and well-wishers globally, Giménez went on to stage an art exhibition featuring 28 of her own works.

She was praised by the mayor for her kind-hearted nature and years of dedication to the church.

In the end, what began as a well-intentioned but unsuccessful art repair forged an improbable cultural icon and brought unprecedented attention and resources to a humble Spanish town.