As an imperial city, Strasbourg has edified many monuments to promote its particular status in the Holy Roman Empire. Notre-Dame at Strasbourg is not an exception: historians read the construction of the cathedral and its facade as the materialisation of a "civic pride". Many documents, anyhow, testify to the emperors many visits and underline the city's political role in the Empire. This thesis demonstrates that the imperial presence in the Reichsstadt---events usually avoided by historians---is clearly illustrated in the iconographical and architectural programs of the cathedral. The selection of biblical scenes and protagonists, historical figures, and the borrowing of architectural details from royal and imperial buildings, make it a monument erected to the glory of the emperor. From its portal to its spire, Notre-Dame at Strasbourg is a testimony of the Strasbourgeois' loyalty to the imperial crown, loyalty transferred to the Bourbons who took the city in 1682.

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