Satanic Temple's monument to be unveiled Saturday in Detroit

A controversial Baphomet monument is to be unveiled Saturday in downtown Detroit in an event that local Christians have tried to shut down, according to a news release today.

The Satanic Temple is to unveil the bronze goat-headed idol that weighs one ton and is nearly 9 feet tall. A news release bills the event as the largest Satanic ceremony in history.

The location of the unveiling is to be given via e-mail to ticket-holders the day of the event. Tickets are pre-sale only. Ticket holders must arrive at the address between 8 and 9 p.m., with no admission after 9 p.m., according to the release.

The event will kick off the group's legal efforts to secure placement of the monument next to a Ten Commandments monument on public grounds in Oklahoma or Arkansas.

The statue is backed by an inverted pentagram and flanked by statues of two young children gazing up at the creature, which has horns, hooves, wings and a beard. It cost more than $100,000 and had been planned for the state Capitol in Oklahoma City until Oklahoma's Supreme Court banned religious displays, including a monument of the Ten Commandments, on Capitol grounds.

A Ten Commandments monument is planned outside Arkansas' Statehouse in Little Rock.

The statue was to be unveiled at Bert's Marketplace in Detroit's Eastern Market district, but Bert Dearing said he gave the group back its $3,000 rental fee when he learned who booked the place.

The Detroit Mass Mob Facebook page on Friday said it "would be great if we had a large turnout" on Saturday's 10 a.m. mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church. In response to the unveiling, the page also states, Detroit's Mother of Divine Mercy Catholic parish will hold a mass and eucharistic holy hour that day in reparation and prayer for the city of Detroit.

The ticket website states that the Satanic Temple "invites you to join us for a night of chaos, noise, and debauchery at the Unveiling, a hedonistic celebration introducing the controversial Baphomet monument accompanied by provocative performances and installations."

Musical performances include Detroit's Wolf Eyes and Boston-based punk act Sadist.

Tickets, which cost $25 or $75 for VIP access, may be purchased at http://thesatanictemple.ticketleap.com/thesatanictemple/details.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Christina Hall: chall99@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.