Botched fresco of Christ feted as tourist draw

WHEN an elderly widow in a Spanish town decided to restore a church fresco of Christ, the result was so disastrous that it went viral and she became a global laughing stock.

Fast-forward a few years and the tables have turned for Cecilia Gimenez, now 85, whose “restoration” in Borja resembles a pale-faced ape with cartoon-style eyes and a crooked smudge for a mouth.

Her makeover has sparked such interest that people are flocking to the town, mugs and T-shirts bearing the botched image are on sale, and the incident has inspired an opera — excerpts of which were to be performed in Borja this weekend.

“It’s a hybrid, it has music from Bach, Gregorian chants, and then it has some numbers that sound like Lady Gaga or Frank Sinatra,” said Andrew Flack, the US playwright who wrote the opera. “I could see that she was going to go from a villain to the hero.”

Mayor Eduardo Arilla Pablo said Borja had had 170 000 visitors since the incident went viral.

Gimenez will be seated at the front row of the show, near where her “restored” fresco is now on display for à2 (about R30).

“When she began her ‘restoration’, there wasn’t a whole lot of fresco left. She was just trying to help out,” said Flack. “So when . . . she was made fun of, she felt terrible. Now she feels like it’s a miracle.” — AFP