The growth of Bangalore into a hub of the Christian movement started with the defeat of Tipu Sultan at the hands of the British at Srirangapatnam in 1799. Bangalore fort was earlier captured by the British in 1791 and a Cantonment was established to spearhead the British resistance against Tipu Sultan.

Following Tipu Sultan's death, the British returned administrative control of the Bangalore "pētē" to the Maharaja of Mysore, choosing only to retain the Cantonment under their jurisdiction. British troops from Srirangapatnam and other areas of Madras Presidency were moved here. The settlement then drew a large number of other Europeans who sought to settle down there followed by others, largely retirees of the Mysore and Carnatic wars as well as Anglo Indians and ‘Tamils’ from other parts of the Madras Presidency. In 1831, the British Civil administration, which was now under the British crown as against the East India Company earlier, was formally shifted to Bangalore. The aforementioned developments were ideal settings for many European religious orders who began to set up missions here.