Older Even Than the Tsar

Banyas have been in the Russian region since before there were Russians. They appear in the first written records of Russian history and continued to remain relevant to belief and behavior though the Muscovite period and into the reign of Peter the Great. As bathing fell out of favor in Western Europe, the persistency of the banya struck outsiders as barbaric, titillating, and licentious. This chapter discusses the origins of the bania in Kievan Rus’, with an emphasis on everyday life, the law, and belief. The bania’s ambiguity as a place of healing and danger, rebirth and illicit behavior was evident from the beginning.