The Bas-Relief of Petru Rareș National College (Basorelieful de la Colegiul Național Petru Rareș) is a commemorative monument in Piatra Neamț, incorporated into the stone wall of the monumental staircase leading from Ștefan cel Mare Street to the Princely Court Square. It honors three educators who helped establish and develop Petru Rareș National College: Calistrat Hogaș, Ion Negre, and Mihai Stamatin.
The monument was commissioned through the initiative of the Ateneul Popular cultural association to commemorate the school’s early history. Calistrat Hogaș and Ion Negre were its first teachers when the institution opened in 1869, with Hogaș also serving as its first director. Mihai Stamatin later contributed to the development of the school, establishing a boarding facility for children from rural areas and promoting scientific education. The monument was created between 1924 and 1926 and inaugurated on July 26, 1926, in the presence of teachers, students, local residents, and its sculptor, Mihai Onofrei.
The composition features three bronze portraits arranged across the upper part of a rectangular stone panel. Hogaș occupies the central position in a frontal high-relief portrait, flanked by profile portraits of Negre on the left and Stamatin on the right. Onofrei created the bronze sculptures, while the Italian-born stone sculptor Vincenzo Puschiasis produced the decorative stonework, with construction contractor Carol Zani also participating in the project. The surrounding frame incorporates carved laurel wreaths, while a relief depicting Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, decorates the lower section. The monument forms part of the retaining wall beside the staircase, integrating the tribute to the school’s founders into the approach to the historic college.
