Disastrous ‘restoration’ turns Jesus, Mary statues into ‘googly-eyed’ mockery

(LifeSiteNews) — A horrific “restoration” of statues of the Holy Family quickly turned a Catholic church in Brazil into an attraction for tourists who traveled to see Jesus and Mary with “googly eyes” and bright red lipstick-smeared lips.

The figures depicting scenes from Jesus’ Passion had deteriorated over time due to exposure to the weather.

The so-called “restoration” sparked outrage by devout Catholics who were mortified at the offensive – if not blasphemous – changes.

According to a report by the New York Post, “out-of-towners flocked to the town, with about 250,000 of them there to laugh or pray around the site.”

The restoration of the sacred sculptures of the Calvary scene in Carmo do Cajuru, Brazil, “were painted to crudely draw eyebrows, eyelashes, and lips, completely disfiguring the sculptures,” noted the French Catholic news site, L’Echo Chrétien.

“The parish, which had hired the company responsible for the restoration, acknowledged the discontent and had the paintings removed,” explained L’Echo Chrétien’s post on X.

✝️🎨 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗘 — La restauration des sculptures sacrées du calvaire de Jésus à Carmo do Cajuru, au Brésil, a suscité la colère des habitants.

Les statues ont été peintes afin de dessiner des sourcils, des cils et des lèvres de manière grossière, défigurant totalement les… pic.twitter.com/gRqlstRmQb

— L’Écho Chrétien (@lechochretien) June 16, 2026

The botched restoration is reminiscent of a similar incident in Spain in 2012, when an 81-year-old named Cecilia Giménez attempted to restore a faded 1930 Ecce Homo fresco inside a small church near Zaragoza. The result: the Holy Visage was dubbed “Monkey Christ” and it, too, became an instant tourist attraction.

The ridiculed painting has now been “preserved as-is” after having been declared “more culturally relevant than the original painting.”

“Tens of thousands of tourists visit the Spanish town of Borja every year to see it,” according to Archeo – Histories on X.  “The sanctuary now charges a small entry fee, and the proceeds continue to fund local care programs for the elderly, quietly turning a viral mistake into long-term community support reports.”

The botched restoration nicknamed “Monkey Christ” was deemed more culturally relevant than the original painting and preserved as-is. Tens of thousands of tourists visit the Spanish town of Borja every year to see it, and the restorer became a local celebrity until her passing in… pic.twitter.com/rYM89sxv8v

— Archaeo – Histories (@archeohistories) March 20, 2026