The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 4 letter word NOTRE DAME
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
N
O
T
R
E
D
A
M
E
More clues leading to the result NOTRE DAME
- in another, saw end of prayer cut short with entry of queen
- Comment about Cardinal, American, in Cathedral
- Church only mildly socialist? Answer me!
- Scot’s wild, maybe, cornering cardinal in cathedral
- Written comment about king made after upset in Cathedral
- Cathedral reflected on woody plant around embankment
- Crumbling and remote gothic landmark
- Meander to restored cathedral
- No wine to be taken into flat in sacred building
- No Communist will enter boring cathedral
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Cathedral" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cathedral = notre dame.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.