Behold...The bizarre restoration has turned a tiny Spanish village of Borja into a tourist destination. Picture: AP Source: AP

The painting made headlines around the world, after 83-year-old pensioner Cecilia Gimenez took it upon herself to ‘touch up’ the fading image of Jesus in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy church.

Her attempt completely destroyed the painting Ecce Homo, or Behold the Man, turning Jesus into a creature that more closely resembles a monkey or hedgehog.

Now known as ‘Beast Jesus’, the fresco disaster has turned into a tourism boom, with more than 150,000 visitors flocking to the tiny town and paying 1 euro each to view the ‘artwork’.

Before Beast Jesus, just 40,000 visited to the sleepy town, according to The New York Times.

The painting has also become an internet meme Beast Jesus and even was the subject of a SNL skit.

Sometimes dubbed it ‘Potato Jesus’, the ‘Beast Jesus’ also created a flurry of internet memes.

All the attention has turned the small town into a tourist attraction, with thousands flocking to the 16th century chapel to view the painting.

Restaurant owner Jose M Baya says Beast Jesus ‘pilgrims’ helped save his business and motivated him to open a second restaurant.

‘”The impact of ‘Ecce Homo’ has been really great for business,” he told The Times.

“Sadly, everyone heads to look at a painting that, frankly, is ugly.”

Mrs Gimenez, who attracted worldwide scorn for her paint job, is now a local hero and even has a holiday in her honour for single-handedly restoring the town’s economy.

She has always insisted that the priest knew she was ‘fixing’ the painting, and says her heart was in the right place.

“I had nothing but good intentions and always believed I was doing the right thing. Besides, I haven’t finished the painting,” she told Spanish TV after the painting became a worldwide joke.

“I felt devasted,” Mrs Gimnez tells The New York Times.

“They said it was a crazy, old woman who destroyed a portrait that was worth a lot of money.”