The botched restoration of a church fresco by an elderly parishioner brought it international fame - and a fortune from tourists. Now, the town of Borja is at the centre of a fresh controversy.

The parish priest in charge of the church where the Ecce Homo draws hundreds of visitors each week was arrested on Friday for allegedly pocketing church funds of about €210,000 ($310,000).

The original version of the painting Ecce Homo, left, by 19th-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez, the deteriorated version, centre, and the restored version, Credit:AFP

Florencio Garces, 70, was detained by Guardia Civil on suspicion of misappropriating funds, of money laundering and sexual abuse.

The arrest has stirred emotion in a town that leapt into the public eye last year after elderly resident and local artist Celia Gimenez, 83, attempted to restore a 100-year-old fresco of Christ, with dire but highly amusing results.