Overview
- Borja mayor Eduardo Arilla announced her death in a Facebook tribute, calling her “one of the most famous characters of 2012.”
- She drew global attention in 2012 after attempting to restore the Sanctuary of Mercy’s 19th-century Ecce Homo fresco by Elías García Martínez.
- Tourism surged to more than 40,000 visitors by 2013 and now averages about 15,000–20,000 annually, with the image preserved behind protective glass.
- Proceeds tied to the episode and sales of her own art went to a hospital foundation that runs the care home where she spent her final years.
- She later said the intervention was unfinished and that she had sought help too late, and she exhibited 28 of her paintings as her local standing grew.