The city's history is barely documented before the late 11th century, however, when Segovia was absorbed into the kingdom of Castile. Its newly acquired importance is illustrated by the extraordinary concentration of 13 Romanesque churches in and around the city. Most are built in a distinctive Segovian style, with tall, narrow, steep-roofed towers and external arcades--more reminiscent of Aragon, or even Lombardy, than of Castile. Parts of S Nicolás date to the 12th century and retain the original apses with colonnettes.