Had to pay to vacate holy room (4)
I believe the answer is:
hall
'room' is the definition.
(hall is a kind of room)
'had to pay to vacate holy' is the wordplay.
'had to pay' becomes 'owed' (I've seen this in another clue).
'to vacate' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'holy' becomes 'hallowed' (synonyms).
'hallowed' with 'owed' taken out is 'HALL'.
(Other definitions for hall that I've seen before include "Entrance area" , "Building used for public assembly" , "Foyer" , "Auditorium" , "Large house (linked to Dotheboys, Wildfell and Toad)" .)