Don Raimondo Fresia was born in Villaspeciosa (Cagliari) on December 10th, 1888.
He studied at the seminary of Cagliari and became priest on 16 July, 1915. He did the compulsory military service and was vice-parish priest in Monserrato and Gergei.
Afterwards, he was priest in Burcei and finally in Uta where he arrived on 17 July and remained here for 34 years.
He is remembered as one of the most active priests of the town and because of that, the people, who have had the luck to know him, still sing his praises.
“Su vicariu”, like this he was called by his parishioners, was always in a good mood, ready to joke with everyone, modest, very humble and good.
His home, the Church and the parish youth club were always opened to everyone for joking, holding meetings, playing and for organizing works for the Church.
Besides having run the repair works of the Santa Giusta’s Church (after the devastating flood in 1929), he also made three new chapels build, the roof of the Church raise, the high altar redo and made one new altar in the Assunta’s chapel erect.
We owe to him the construction of the Santa Giusta’s bell tower (1954), of the parish youth club, of the parish house and the recovery of the courtyard in front of the Church.
He founded or gave new vitality to several associations that collaborated to the parish life, such as the Azione Cattolica (catholic action), and the confraternities of the Rosario (Rosary) and of the Santissimo Sacramento (Blessed Sacrament).
On the XIX centenary of the Redemption he made a chapel erected in the hill of “Sa Guardiedda” a huge cross (for being put on the top of the hill) build.
He was the first who was interested in the repair of the Santa Maria’s Church, whose conditions were not in accordance with a monument of national importance. Always to his work we owe the institution of the route of the Via Crucis both in the streets of the town and into the parish Church of Santa Giusta.
Don Fresia was not a simple priest, but a bearing pillar of the community of Uta. He was sculptor, painter, photographer, joiner and watchmaker. He was able to involve, in his initiatives, the whole population, who loves and appreciate him.
Singer, songwriter, director, choreographer, comedy writer, costume designer, he staged very highly appreciated Sardinian comedies with which he made glad the Sunday evenings in the little theatre of the Montegranatico and after in the parish youth club.
He was who dedicated himself to bring the cinema in the town and to institute a newspaper “L’eco della parrocchia” for the young and the adults.
Don Raimondo Fresia was appointed honorary president of the local football team. He had a special place in the hearth of the young, to whom, as well as teaching the catechism, he dedicated a lot of his time with plays and dances.
Speaking about them, in his farewell letter, he wrote: “…apple of my eye, my joy, my happiness, my support”.
After 34 years, he was nominated chaplain of the Sant’Efisio’s Church in Cagliari and because of that he left from Uta on September 15th, 1960.
The separation from his population was his stronger sorrow, that undermined his health day after day, everyday more, and so after 2 months, on 15 March, 1961 he died.
He was buried in the Monumental Cemetery of Bonaria, but his corpse was transferred to the cemetery of Uta on May 19th, 1970.
The love, that the inhabitants of Uta felt and still feel for him, was and is so big that the municipality has dedicated a street to him.