Cecilia Giménez, who made a painting of Jesus look like a very hairy monkey, wants economic compensation

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Some painters die penniless, their work unappreciated. So it seems only fair after her artwork attracted global attention that Cecilia Giménez make some money – even if she did make Jesus look like a very hairy monkey.

The 80-year-old Spanish parishioner became a worldwide laughing stock earlier this year after her botched restoration of a 19-century fresco of Christ with a crown of thorns became an internet sensation. Millions were reduced to tears of laughter, even as some hailed it as a masterpiece in its own right.

Crowds have since swarmed to Giménez's handiwork, paying the Sanctuary of Mercy Church in Borja, near Zaragoza, €4 (£3) each to marvel or mock. And now Giménez wants a slice of the action.

"She just wants the church to conform to the law," said Enrique Trebolle, the lawyer hired by Giménez. "If this means economic compensation she wants it to be for charitable purposes."

Trebolle said that Giménez wanted her cut of the profits to help Muscular atrophy charities because her son suffers from the condition.

Ecce Homo, or Behold the Man, by Spanish artist Elias Garcia Martinez had suffered years of deterioration due to moisture when Giménez decided to take her brush to it.

The resulting image has variously been dubbed "the worst restoration in history", "beast Jesus", and "a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic".

As the image's popularity grew, helped by an online petition in support of Giménez's work, paying visitors have poured thousands of euros into church coffers.

Budget airline Ryanair even got in on the act, laying on a special flight to Zaragoza airport.

Giménez was said to be acting "spontaneously and with good intentions" when she attempted the restoration but soon realised "that things had got out of hand".

The original artist's family have called for the image to be restored to its former glory and have threatened possible legal action against Giménez for "destroying" the work.