Video: Elderly amateur art restorer ruins famous Spanish fresco Ecce Homo

A fact proved this week by an elderly Spanish church-goer whose attempt to restore Elias Garcia Martinez's Ecce Homo (Behold Man) has become international news.

The 'restorer,' in her 80s, attempted to return the fresco to its former glory after years of water damage incurred on the wall of the Sanctuary of Mercy Church near Zaragoza had left it seriously damaged.

The woman contacted local cultural officials after realising that things may have gone awry.

Juan Maria Ojeda, the civil servant in charge of local cultural issues said: "I think she had good intentions. Next week she will meet with a repairer and explain what kind of materials she used.

"If we can't fix it, we will probably cover the wall with a photo of the painting."

The work itself is not said to be especially valuable, however a recent donation from the artist's granddaughter was to be used for a professional restoration of the painting.

"It was beautiful, now it looks like a haunted potato," said one internet commenter.

Check out the woman's attempted restoration below.

Image via ThinkStock