medieval memes

Artists have been revered for creating works of beauty for thousands of years - but do you think brush-wielding monks in medieval Europe had any idea their painstaking efforts would be used for the unholy humor of memes? Chances are they didn't. These memes may have absolutely nothing to do with the art's intended purpose, but we think they add historical and cultured edge to an art form that's only been around for a couple decades. They're a beautiful merging of old and new, and (most importantly) they're funny as hell.

We've come a long way, baby. These medieval medical drawings might paint a pretty gruesome picture of medieval healthcare - but they definitely make for some solid memes.