The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word LOURDES
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
L
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More clues leading to the result LOURDES
- It offers hope to the sick and old, sure to be treated
- Peer over top of unmade beds regularly to see a sacred place!
- Scowl from the French in place of healing
- Hear lots about ancient city’s pilgrimage site
- Visitors’ centre covered in technicolour designs
- Rules do change in place of pilgrimage
- Virgil's last poems about ancient city where healing sought
- Pilgrimage venue was enticing, they say
- Among all our destinations is a pilgrimage site
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a sacred place" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a sacred place = lourdes.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.