Cecilia Giménez Zueco, the Spanish woman whose botched 2012 restoration of a 19th-century fresco of Jesus Christ became a global internet sensation, has died at age 94. The fresco, *Ecce Homo* by Elias Garcia Martinez, was housed in the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza. Giménez's amateur repainting, which made the figure's head resemble a hairy monkey, earned the nickname "Monkey Christ" and spawned viral memes, including a Twitter account. Initially distraught by the backlash, she later saw the town of Borja benefit from a surge in tourism.
Giménez's story matters because it highlights the unpredictable intersection of folk art, cultural heritage, and internet virality. What began as a well-intentioned but disastrous restoration became a major tourist attraction, drawing over 150,000 visitors to Borja and leading to the opening of a dedicated interpretation center in 2016. The incident also sparked broader debates about art restoration ethics and the power of social media to transform a local mishap into a global phenomenon, while ultimately humanizing Giménez as a well-meaning amateur rather than a villain.