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A professional publicist, Anton Szandor LaVey (1930-97) birthed his Church of Satan in 1966 in San Francisco and authored its main text, The Satanic Bible. The Church of Satan is considered the largest of several Satanic religious movements. (ARDA, N.D.)
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LaVey shaved his head and wore a black robe, he pronounced himself the High Priest of the COS and the "Black Pope." He then painted his parents' house black and purple, and it became known as the "Black House." It became the headquarters of COS.
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The Church of Satan performed a satanic wedding ceremony, setting off a flurry of media coverage. LaVey also began performing baptisms and funerals.
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LaVey published the Satanic Bible, outlining the principles of LaVeyan Satanism.
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The Church of Satan stopped gaining popularity. People weren't paying attention to it as much. Interest in Satanism declined and LaVey withdrew from public view.
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People were freaking out and being scared of the Church of Satan and their movements. Their motivations were unknown and feared. In an interview, LaVey stated his motivations were monetary only, and knew the organization was filled with freaks and weirdos.
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Anton LaVey died as a result of a pulmonary edema, and Blanche Barton became the Church of Satan's High Priestess.
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Peter Gilmore became High Priest of Church of Satan after Barton stepped down. After that, Peggy Nadramia became High Priestess of Church of Satan.
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The Church of Satan held its first public Satanic Mass in 40 years