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{{See also|Fort Church (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox church
| name = The Fort Church (St Luke's Church)
| fullname = The Fort Church, Bangalore
| image = Fort_Church_Bangalore.jpg
| imagesize = frameless
| imagelink =
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| coordinates = {{coord|12.962875|N|77.575956|E|display=inline,title}}
| location = [[Bangalore Fort]]
| country = [[India]]
| denomination = [[Anglican]]
| former name = Drummer's Chapel
| membership =
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| founded date = 1808
| founder = Lieutenant John Blakiston
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| style = [[Anglican]]
| groundbreaking =
| completed date = 1808
| construction cost =
| closed date = 1933
| demolished date = 1933
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| diocese = Diocese of Mysore
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}}

The '''Fort Church, Bangalore''', was a church located within [[Bangalore Fort]]. The church was demolished to make place for the construction of the [[Vanivilas Women and Children Hospital|Vani Vilas Hospital]]. The [[Kingdom of Mysore|Government of Mysore]] then allotted land in Chamrajpet for construction of a new church, [[St. Luke's Church, Bangalore]].<ref name="Luke">{{cite web|title=History|url=http://stlukesbangalore.org/brief_history.html?PHPSESSID=eee018ebd8debea124f4c59556295e3d|website=St. Luke's Church, Chamarajpet, Bangalore|accessdate=10 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="Trip2Blr">{{cite web|title=St Luke's Church, Bangalore Photo Gallery|url=http://www.trip2blr.com/st-lukes-church-bangalore-photo-gallery/|website=Trip2Blr.com|accessdate=17 February 2015|archive-date=17 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217061947/http://www.trip2blr.com/st-lukes-church-bangalore-photo-gallery/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Early records refer to the Fort Church as the '''Drummer's Chapel''', constructed by British soldiers after the [[Siege of Seringapatam (1799)|fall of Tippu Sultan]].<ref name="Anik">{{cite book|last1=Dhanraj|first1=Anik Luke|last2=Isaac|first2=Rabindran|last3=Mercy|title=Fortified revival|date=31 October 2010|publisher=St. Luke's Church|location=Bangalore|url=http://stlukesbangalore.org/history/St%20Lukes%20church%20History.htm|accessdate=17 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150210124144/http://stlukesbangalore.org/history/St%20Lukes%20church%20History.htm|archive-date=10 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="CMA">{{cite journal|title=The Church and Christian Institutions in Bangalore|journal=Journal of the Christian Medical Association of India|volume=37|page=578|date=1963|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=org6AQAAIAAJ&q=drummer+chapel|accessdate=17 February 2015}}</ref> The Fort Church, Bangalore was the first [[protestant]] church to be raised in [[Bangalore]].<ref name="Penny" />

==History==
The Fort Church, Bangalore was among 15 churches built by the [[Madras Presidency|Government of Madras]] before 1833, when there were no special rules with regards to building churches. The Military board of the [[Madras Army]] approved the construction.<ref name="Penny" /> The Church raised in 1807 was for the use of the British troops posted in the [[Bangalore Fort]].<ref name="Anik" />

The Fort Church, Bangalore was visited by Bishop Turner, travelling from Madras to Bangalore.<ref name="Anik" /><ref name="Chatterton">{{cite book|last1=Chatterton|first1=Eyre|title=A History of the Church of England in India, Since the Early Days of the East India Company|publisher=Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK)|location=London|url=http://anglicanhistory.org/india/chatterton1924/|accessdate=17 February 2015}}</ref>

The Fort Church was no longer used by 1836, when it was visited by [[Daniel Corrie|Bishop Corrie]], as there was only one chaplain for Bangalore, and he could not travel from the [[Bangalore Cantonment|Bangalore Civil and Military Station]] to the Bangalore Fort. The church building was then used by the [[Madras Army]] for other purposes. In 1836, the army moved out of the Fort, and handed it over to the Government of Mysore<ref name="Anik" />

In 1857, a small garrison of the Madras Army was stationed again at the Bangalore Fort, and the Fort Church was re-opened.

==Architecture==
The church was modest, unlike other churches in Bangalore of the period. It resembled a barrack, with a tiled roof supported by beams. The Church was referred to as the 'Little Church'.<ref name="Anik" /><ref name="Jan1895">{{cite journal|title=Parochial Magazine|date=January 1895|page=28|publisher=Church of England}}</ref>

When the Fort Church was demolished, some of the items were re-used in building St. Luke's Church, Chamrajpet. This includes the church bell, bearing the inscription 'Madras Mint 1868'.<ref name="Anik" />

==Fort Cemetery==
[[File:Cenotaph, Bangalore - Copy.jpg|thumb|left|Cenotaph, Bangalore]]
[[File:The Memorial Obelsisk, raised in memory of the British and Indian troops who fell at the siege of Bangalore in 1791.jpg|thumb|260px|Memorial Obelisk raised for the British and Indian Officers and Men who fell in the [[Siege of Bangalore]], 1791. The [[Hudson Memorial Church, Bangalore|Hudson Memorial Church]] can be seen in the background. (The memorial was vandalised on 28 October 1964)]]
The Fort Cemetery, where the officers who fell in the [[Siege of Bangalore]] were buried, is illustrated in Robert Home's Book, ''Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan'', published by Robert Bowyer, London, 1794.<ref name="BL">{{cite web|title=Burial Ground at Bangalore|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000003775u00011000.html|website=British Library: Online Gallery|accessdate=17 February 2015}}</ref> Home's painting shows the graves of Captains James Smith, James Williamson, John Shipper, Nathaniel Daws and Jeremiah Delany, Lieutenant Conan and Lieutenant-Colonel Gratton.<ref name="BL-Home">{{cite web|title=Burial Ground at Bangalore|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/019wdz000003775u00011000.html|website=British Library: Online Gallery|accessdate=18 February 2015}}</ref> As recorded in 1895, The cemetery was located just outside Fort Church, with the church being responsible for its maintenance. The cemetery had cypress trees, rose bushes and flowers. The Government of Mysore, had constructed a wall and gate for the cemetery.<ref name="Anik" /><ref name="Mar1895">{{cite journal|title=Parochial Magazine|date=March 1895|page=22|publisher=Church of England}}</ref>

However, as recorded in 1912 by Rev. Frank Penny in his book ''The Church in Madras: Volume II'', the cemetery no longer existed. The record of the officers who fell in the [[Siege of Bangalore|battle for the Bangalore Fort in 1791]], were transferred to the cenotaph, raised by the [[Kingdom of Mysore|Government of Mysore]].<ref name="Penny">{{cite book|last1=Penny|first1=Frank|title=The Church in Madras : being the History of the Ecclesiastical and Missionary Action of the East India Company in the Presidency of Madras From 1805 to 1835: Volume II|date=1912|publisher=John Murray|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/thechurchinmadra02unknuoft/page/n90 71]|url=https://archive.org/details/thechurchinmadra02unknuoft|accessdate=10 February 2015}}</ref>

The 35 feet tall cenotaph pillar was raised in memory of the lives lost in the Siege of Bangalore, opposite to the present Corporation Building, and [[Hudson Memorial Church, Bangalore|Hudson Memorial Church]].<ref name="Hindu-Chandramouli">{{cite news|last1=Chandramouli|first1=K|title=Edifices that tell tales|url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/05/stories/2002090500400200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030309125414/http://thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/05/stories/2002090500400200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 March 2003|accessdate=21 January 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=5 September 2002}}</ref> Kannada activists led by Vatal Nagaraj and others made violent demands to demolish the cenotaph. As a result of these protests, the Bangalore City Corporation demolished the memorial on 28 October 1964, and the name of the road was also changed from Cenotaph Road to Nrupathunga Road. The engraved stones were destroyed, and not even a single stone remains. A small piece of the Cenotaph has been placed as a bench in the Corporation Office.<ref name="Mirror">{{cite news|last1=S|first1=Shyam Prasad|title=Reclaiming the city|url=http://ramubangalore.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-cenotaph-of-bangalore.html|accessdate=21 January 2015|agency=Bangalore Mirror Bureau|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=Bangalore Mirror|date=1 November 2014}}</ref><ref name="Harshitha">{{cite web|last1=Harshitha|first1=Samyuktha|title=This Cenotaph was officially vandalised|url=http://ramubangalore.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-cenotaph-of-bangalore.html|website=Suttha Muttha|accessdate=21 January 2015|date=2 December 2012}}</ref> Historians, and heritage lovers of Bangalore protested the destruction of history. A blogger, Samyuktha Harshitha, called it as 'official vandalism', comparing it with the destruction of the [[Buddhas of Bamiyan|Bamiyan statues]].<ref name="Harshitha" /><ref name="Sripad">{{cite news|last1=Sripad|first1=Ashwini M|title=The Disappearing Heritage Landscape of Bangalore|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/The-Disappearing-Heritage-Landscape-of-Bangalore/2014/10/25/article2492294.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025124931/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/The-Disappearing-Heritage-Landscape-of-Bangalore/2014/10/25/article2492294.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 October 2014|accessdate=21 January 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=The New Indian Express|date=25 October 2014}}</ref>

[[File:View of the burial ground at Bangalore.jpg|thumb|left|View of the burial ground at Bangalore - Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan by Robert Home (1752-1834)<ref name="Plate8">{{cite book|last1=Home|first1=Robert|title=Select Views in Mysore, the country of Tippoo Sultan|date=1794|publisher=Robert Bowyer|location=London|page=Plate 8|url=http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/other/largeimage68277.html|accessdate=17 February 2015}}</ref>]]

==Fort school==
The Fort Church, managed the Fort School from the end of the 19th century. The church provided furniture, study maps, and managed accounts, all overseen by the Fort Church School Committee.<ref name="Apr1895">{{cite journal|title=Parochial Magazine|date=April 1895|page=23|publisher=Church of England}}</ref><ref name="Aug1895">{{cite journal|title=Parochial Magazine|date=August 1895|page=21|publisher=Church of England}}</ref> The Diocesan Magazine, records a school function being organised for current and former students on 29 December 1909, with Miss. Rozario as head mistress (serving from 1893 to 1909), with prizes distributed by E A Hill, School inspector and Rev. G H Lamb.<ref name="Jan1909">{{cite journal|title=Diocesan Magazine|date=January 1909|page=24|publisher=Church of England}}</ref> In 1911, the head mistress was a Miss Page, as recorded by the Diocesan Magazine.<ref name="Anik" /><ref name="Apr1911">{{cite journal|title=The Madras and Tinnevelly Diocesan Magazine|volume=6|issue=4|date=April 1911|page=7|publisher=Church of England}}</ref>

There still exists a Fort School at Chamarajpet, with a building dating to 1907.<ref name="Ranjani" /> Once called the English Vernacular School, the Fort School is located opposite [[Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute|Bangalore Medical College]], near [[Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace]].<ref name="Ullas">{{cite news|last1=Ullas|first1=Sruthy Susan|title=A slice of history lives on in these alma maters|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/A-slice-of-history-lives-on-in-these-alma-maters/articleshow/15382706.cms|accessdate=18 February 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=The Times of India|date=7 August 2012}}</ref> The School was built in 1907, and had among its students freedom fighter [[H. S. Doreswamy|H S Doreswamy]], cricketer [[Gundappa Viswanath|G R Vishwanath]], statesman [[V. S. Krishna Iyer|V S Krishna Iyer]],<ref name="Ranjani" /> Mysore Maharaja [[Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar]], former Chief Minister of Karnataka [[K. Hanumanthaiah|Kengal Hanumanthaiah]] and bureaucrat Narasimha Rao.<ref name="Ullas" /> The building is being studied by [[Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage|INTACH]] for possible renovation.<ref name="Ranjani">{{cite news|last1=Govind|first1=Ranjani|title=Bringing back colonial grandeur of Fort High School building|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/bringing-back-colonial-grandeur-of-fort-high-school-building/article6871852.ece|accessdate=17 February 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=The Hindu|date=9 February 2015}}</ref> The Fort School is the oldest high school in the Bangalore pete area. The school at present has 186 students in English Medium and 81 studying in Kannada Medium. Majority of the English Medium students are from [[Tamil People|Tamil]] and [[Telugu people|Telugu]] families, studying all subjects in English, English language, mother tongue language and [[Kannada language|Kannada]] as third language.<ref name="Sunitha">{{cite news|last1=Rao|first1=Sunitha R|title=Skewed policy ensures English is alien to kids|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/Skewed-policy-ensures-English-is-alien-to-kids/articleshow/46159734.cms|accessdate=17 February 2015|issue=Bangalore|newspaper=The Times of India|date=8 February 2015}}</ref>

==Demolition==
{{Portal|United Kingdom|India}}
The Government of Mysore built [[Victoria Hospital (Bangalore Medical College)|Victoria Hospital]] in 1901, inside [[Bangalore Fort]]. In 1915, the government constructed [[Minto Eye Hospital]] on the same campus. In the 1920s the Mysore Government wanted to add a maternity hospital inside [[Bangalore Fort]], and approached the [[Church of England]] for land on which the Fort Church was standing. The Government offered an alternative site at Hardinge Road, Chamarajpet and a compensation of [[rupee|INR]] 7,000, which was accepted by the church. The Fort Church was demolished around 1932, with the new church named as St. Luke's Church built with contributions from the Government of Mysore, Government of India, Diocese of Madras and other donors amounting to INR 36,315.<ref name=Anik />

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Destroyed churches in India]]
[[Category:Redundant churches]]
[[Category:Churches in Bengaluru]]
[[Category:19th-century Anglican church buildings in India]]
[[Category:Presbyterianism in India]]

Fort Church, Bengaluru - Revision history

Aurelia2406: new entry