× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

SPRINGFIELD — A display from The Satanic Temple-Chicago has been placed in the Statehouse rotunda, joining the Nativity scene to mark the Christmas season and the Menorah to mark Hanukkah.

According to the Satanic group's application to the Illinois Secretary of State's Office to allow the display, the sculpture is called "Knowledge is the Greatest Gift," and it depicts the forearm of a young woman extended, with her hand holding an apple.

The whole structure, including the base, is about 4½ feet tall, and the arm and apple statue is about 18 inches long.

Dave Druker, spokesman for the secretary of state, said the Chicago-based Satanic group had the right, just like religious organizations, to put up its display in rotunda.

"Under the Constitution, the First Amendment, people have a right to express their feelings, their thoughts," Druker said. "This recognizes that."

The state cannot legally censor the content of displays, as long as they are not paid for by taxpayer dollars, because the Capitol Rotunda is considered a public place. A large sign near the displays explains the Supreme Court ruling regarding displays.