Remember Monkey Christ? What Happened Next Can Give Us Hope For Our Own Botched-Up Lives
In 2012, a story rocked the art world and made headlines worldwide. It centred on a mural by the nineteenth-century artist Elías García Martínez, painted on the wall of a small church in the Spanish village of Borja. A tender portrait of Christ gazing to heaven, this beautiful piece was flaking through age and in desperate need of restoration.
That’s where Cecilia Giménez stepped in. Picking up her paint set, the amateur artist tried her hand at restoring the mural herself—to catastrophic effect. Soon Martínez’ gentle brushwork was replaced with what looked like a crayon drawing of a monkey in an Eskimo suit. Nicknamed ‘Monkey Christ’, the botched job went viral, and as the world laughed and conservator’s wept, Giménez retreated to her bed, ill from the stress of global condemnation.
An Unexpected Twist
Left there, the Monkey Christ story could be a tragic tale of amateurs overestimating their abilities. But Giménez’ heart seemed in the right place. Widowed young, she’d raised two disabled children alone, and in her village, everyone stepped in to fix what was broken. She’d only been trying to help.
Cecilia Giménez died this past December, aged 94, prompting journalists to return to Borja—where they found the story had taken an unexpected twist. With her newfound fame, Giménez’ own artworks had started to sell—the proceeds of which she donated to charity. The little village of Borja had become a tourist destination, with thousands flocking to see the internet-famous painting—and the income from that now supported a care home for the elderly. The ‘worst restoration in history’ ended up restoring many peoples’ lives.
Hope for Your Next Miss-Step
It isn’t the first time a positive has emerged from a tragedy. And at the centre of the story is the face of Christ—disfigured this time from paint, and originally from a crown of thorns. Once ridiculed, unexpected twists follow wherever he goes—which is why Christians like me love him. And that, for me, sounds a note of hope for our own miss-steps and botch-ups:
When he’s in the picture, a catastrophe can become the raw materials for a miracle.
Listen Now
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills Breakfast Show
