Ten years have passed since Eccehomo de Borja: 300,000 visitors from 130 countries, 450,000 euros in income and the phenomenon continues

This Sunday marks

, located in the Misericordia Sanctuary of Borja (Zaragoza).

It is a worldwide known phenomenon that has been visited by some

.

It has generated income of 450,000 euros, including tickets, image rights and the sale of various items.

The protagonist,

, fond of painting, is in poor health and lives with her son who suffers from cerebral palsy in a residence.

She continues to receive messages of affection from all over the world, she says that she is left with the joy of knowing that

her and assures that she would try to repair the painting.

The Borja City Council has organized

.

It all started when the newsletter of the Centro de Estudios Borjanos published two photographs with the before and after of the mural painting, the work of

.

He was a renowned painter and teacher who decorated the ceiling of the Teatro Principal in Zaragoza and collaborated with the Gran Teatro del Liceo in Barcelona.

The painting,

, about 50 centimeters high by 40 wide, was made in the twenties of the last century while he was spending the summer in Borja, where the family is from.

On August 21, 2012,

echoed the

, the "botched", then the news jumped nationally and later

.

When

returned from a trip on the Imserso, she found the commotion that had been created.

In her defense, she argued that she had already done it "other times" and that

.

However, she acknowledged: "she has gotten out of hand."

At first, criticism rained down on him everywhere and the City Council and

.

Then there was a discussion about whether to complete the restoration of the painting or if it was better to leave it as it was.

FROM A WINE LABEL TO AN OPERA

The deformed figure has been stamped on

, teddy bears, thimbles, t-shirts, mobile applications, computer mouse pads or candies by a Japanese company.

The reinterpretation of

, the result of the sale of merchandising items, image rights and tickets to the sanctuary to see the painting.

Part of the income generated

with which she pays for her stay in her residence and that of her son who suffers from cerebral palsy.

The rest of the funds are managed by the

whose patronage is chaired by the mayor, who is in charge of the Misericordia Sanctuary, in one of whose chapels is the

, and a nursing home.

With this money, the foundation hires two ticket saleswomen,

, contributes funds to the residence and pays part of the stay for elderly people with limited resources.

Cecilia and her Eccehomo

have inspired various cultural initiatives: documentaries, doctoral theses, appearances in films, books, songs, comics and an opera in a humorous tone.

Composed by the American director Andrew Flack,

(This is the man and, in Latin, Eccehomo),

(United States) and will be released in 2023 in Las Vegas.

The singer-songwriter Ángel Petisme dedicated a song to her and

, included on the album El Ministerio de la feliz.

The first International

Museum was created in Borja , which has 26 unpublished paintings on this work by authors from different parts of the world, from Mexico to Italy, and mainly from Spain.

was inaugurated

, a space dedicated to the study of this media phenomenon.

The entrance to the Sanctuary includes a visit to the church where the painting is located and to the interpretation center.

In addition, it has been possible for

that the town has, such as the Collegiate Church and its museum or the Archaeological Museum.

Cecilia Giménez

, a widow, lives with her son José Antonio, in a public residence located at the entrance to the town.

A few years ago a stroke paralyzed the right part of her body and since then she has been forced to

.

She remembers what happened sometimes with joy and sometimes with sadness.

She assures that she remains with the affection and

.

She is happy for her because she is known all over the world as Cecilia la del Eccehomo.

He became one of the most famous personalities of 2012, along with Barack Obama, Vicente del Bosque or Leo Messi, among others.

The Misericordia sanctuary, a 16th-century building, is located on the

, about five kilometers away, on the side of a mountain with pine trees and small residential houses.

The fire, which a few days ago affected several municipalities of Moncayo and

, was at the gates of the sanctuary and burned the wooded area, forcing it to close for several days.

Now it is open and ready to receive new visitors in a phenomenon that does not stop.

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