Crossword Genius

Church one left in no-frills area (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

basilica

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'church' is the definition.
(type of large church)

'one left in no-frills area' is the wordplay.
'one left in no frills' becomes 'basilic' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'area' becomes 'a' (maths abbreviation).
'basilic'+'a'='BASILICA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for basilica that I've seen before include "Large church building" , "Bails CIA out of the large church" , "Romanesque church" , "A large Christian church with two rows of columns (8)" , "Large (Roman Catholic) church" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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