A combination of three documents provided by the Centre de Estudios Borjanos on August 22, 2012 shows the original version of the painting Ecce Homo (L) by 19th-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez, the deteriorated version (C) and the restored version by an elderly woman in Spain. An elderly woman’s catastrophic attempt to “restore” a century-old oil painting of Christ in a Spanish church has provoked popular uproar, and amusement. Titled “Ecce Homo” (Behold the Man), the original was no masterpiece, painted in two hours in 1910 by a certain Elias Garcia Martinez directly on a column in the church at Borja, northeastern Spain. The well-intentioned but ham-fisted amateur artist, in her 80s, took it upon herself to fill in the patches and paint over the original work, which depicted Christ crowned with thorns, his sorrowful gaze lifted to heaven.
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It has been dubbed “a disaster,” a “massacre of the cultural heritage,” or, more bluntly, the world’s worst restoration project.
Castillo de Matrera, Cádiz, Spain. 13th century.
Before and after “restoration”. pic.twitter.com/6nZVJtOCIT
— Castles (@CastlesOfEurope) March 10, 2016
The restoration of Spain’s Matrera Castle, an ancient Arab fortress in the southern region of Andalucia, has outraged locals and historians, the Spanish cultural heritage group Hispania Nostra said.
“The tower has nothing to do with the original, or even with a medieval castle,” Hispania Nostra Vice President Carlos Morenes told CNN. “It’s a sort of modern tower, which has horrified and angered locals.
“It’s a scandal, and people have almost unanimously rejected it,” he added.
Built on a hill near the town of Villamartin, the 9th century fortress is a privately owned site of cultural interest.
READ: Botched Jesus fresco becomes surprise success
The recently completed project was aimed at shoring up the castle’s tower, which partly collapsed three years ago. New materials were used to protect the ruins of the three-meter thick walls and give the tower its original shape and dimensions.
Local residents told Spanish La Sexta channel they didn’t like it.
“They have called in builders rather than restorers,” one of the interviewees said. “As we say here, they have cocked it up.”
The project was lambasted on social media.
El castillo de Matrera (Cádiz) antes y después de su restauración. Menuda chapuza… pic.twitter.com/jZ06oroc8E
— Cocretiño (@MisterCocreto) February 22, 2016
“The Matrera Castle (Cadiz) before and after its restoration. What a blunder…”
Castillo de Matrera, Cádiz, siglo XIII. Cuando llamas a los albañiles en lugar de a los restauradores pic.twitter.com/hcLsbtKsM7
— λŁやれλ 〆 (@KdeKyurem) February 22, 2016
“Matrera Castle, Cadiz, 13th century. When you call builders rather than restorers.”
El Castillo de Matrera is an ancient Moorish castle in Cadiz
Jesus what have they done to it pic.twitter.com/HHgzAQVMph
— Alek J Hidell ☆ (@mullenedge) March 9, 2016
The project has been defined as the new “Ecce Homo,” a Spanish painting botched when an elderly churchgoer tried to restore it.
The original “Ecce Homo” (L), the deteriorated version (C) and Cecilia Gimenez’s restored version.
Qué mierda han hecho en el castillo de Matrera en Cádiz?? 
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— Estefi (@chefidiaz) March 7, 2016
“What the s*** have they done to the Matrera Castle in Cadiz? And we were surprised by the Ecce Homo?” said one social media user, Estefi.
The architect behind the restoration project did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to Spanish paper ABC, he said the project was aimed at preserving the part of the building still standing and making it look as similar to the original as possible. He explained the difference between original and new materials, saying it’s against Spanish law to imitate the original structure.
An argument that does not persuade Hispania Nostra.
“No words are needed when you see the pictures,” the group said in a statement.