Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia, Religious mission outpost in San Luis Obispo County, California.

Santa Margarita de Cortona Asistencia is a stone and adobe mission outpost in San Luis Obispo County that served as a religious and agricultural center. The structure contained a chapel alongside rooms designed for storage and daily operations, with portions of the original walls still visible today integrated into later ranch buildings.

The asistencia was established in 1787 as a sub-mission to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, with the location initially selected by Father Junípero Serra in 1772. The site later gained attention during the 1818 coastal raid when it served as a refuge for inland settlement.

The asistencia is named for Saint Margaret of Cortona, an Italian saint. Its chapel and eight auxiliary rooms served visiting priests and the majordomo, while one chamber held mission crops. Salinan (Obispeño) people from the surrounding southern homeland were brought here as part of the Indian Reductions.

The asistencia stands on the private Santa Margarita Ranch, so access is limited: tours are offered occasionally, and the site can also be visited during some public ranch events. Otherwise the remaining stone walls, built into a barn, are seen from outside. Check ranch event announcements before planning a stop.

During the 1818 raid by French privateer Hipólito Bouchard, the asistencia served as a refuge for residents fleeing from coastal settlements.