The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word CHANCEL
I've seen this crossword clue in The Sunday Telegraph
C
H
A
N
C
E
L
More clues leading to the result CHANCEL
- Opening large part of church
- Risk associated with large part of church
- Gamble large choir will sing here
- Part of church with luck found on left
- Opening first of louvres in part of church.
- Unlooked-for line forming part of church
- Part of church left following risk
- Part of a church’s fortune, land primarily
- Henry goes in to scrub choir here
- Area in church where Monopoly card gets left
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "area near altar" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case area near altar = chancel.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.
What does CHANCEL mean?
CHANCEL noun- The space around the altar in a church, often enclosed, for use by the clergy and the choir. In medieval cathedrals the chancel was usually enclosed or blocked off from the nave by an altar screen.